


SG4077

by Rod13369



Category: MASH (TV), Stargate SG-1
Genre: Alternate Universe, Gen, Side Trip, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-16
Updated: 2016-11-17
Packaged: 2018-08-31 08:23:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 28,433
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8571355
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rod13369/pseuds/Rod13369
Summary: AU during Moebius. The trip to Egypt goes wrong and SG-1 plus General O'Neill lands just short of the 38th parallel.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> The first of what have turned out to be many crossovers. I've changed this from its original posting (Fanfiction.net from 2009-2010): collated chapters, fixed some errors in characterization, grammar, and spelling. Hope you enjoy!

"Sorry to interrupt the party folks but we've got some uninvited guests. Incoming wounded!" the PA blared in the middle of lunch.

"Remind me to thank them for saving me from the meatloaf," Captain Benjamin Franklin "Hawkeye" Pierce quipped as he departed the mess tent at high speed.

"Me too," Captain BJ Hunnicutt agreed. Two ambulances had pulled in; he climbed into the second while Hawkeye took the first.

"Rogers," Hawkeye greeted the young corpsman. "What've we got?"

"Nothing too bad in this bus, Captain," Rogers replied. "But in the other bus--"

"Hawkeye!" Father Mulcahy's voice cut off Roger's. "BJ needs you immediately!"

"Okay Father." Hawkeye turned to Major Houlihan, who had just boarded. "Can you take care of these guys?"

"Of course. Go," she responded. Hawkeye squeezed past her and headed for the other bus. Climbing in, he found that only four stretchers were in use. BJ was standing over the one on the top right.

"What's up, Beej?" he asked.

"Please tell me that I'm not hallucinating," BJ stated, stepping aside so that Hawkeye could see the patient: A tall, African-American in desert-camo uniform pants and brown sleeveless shirt lay on the stretcher, his bare arms covered in cuts and a large burn on his right shoulder. As Hawkeye approached, he saw that there was an unusual gold marking on the man's forehead. "What's with the tattoo?" Hawkeye wondered.

"I don’t know," BJ responded, "but look at this.” He lifted the man's shirt, revealing an X-shaped cut in the man's stomach. "Have you ever seen anything like this?"

"No," Hawkeye responded. In the back of his mind, he wondered if they were seeing a new torture technique from the North Koreans. Regardless, this man needed their help, and so did the others. "We'll figure it out later," Hawkeye told his friend. "For now we'll treat those cuts and that burn. What about the others?"

"These two," BJ motioned to the man and woman who occupied the left side of the bus, "have dog tags, but these two," the black man and the guy below him, "don't, despite the uniforms. And I can’t find any rank insignia on any of them.”

“I meant injuries, Beej.” Hawkeye was already next to his friend, triaging the woman who occupied the stretcher across from the African-American. “Since when were women in front-line units?”

“I didn’t think they were. I’ve got singed nasal hair on both of these guys.”

“Same here.”

"What've we got, boys?" Both captains turned to find their CO, Colonel Potter, standing in the aisle behind them.

"All four are unconscious, with burns, cuts, scrapes," BJ reported.

“As well as likely concussions and possible smoke inhalation,” Hawkeye chipped in. “There’s also this,” he added showing Potter the weird cut on the black guy’s stomach.

“That’s different.” The older man thought things over for a moment. “Okay, get them through OR as fast as possible and then put ‘em in the VIP tent with round-the-clock watch.”

Hawkeye and BJ nodded. "Anything major?" Hawkeye asked the colonel while BJ called for the corpsman.

Potter shook his head. "Not really. Aside from these four the worst is a broken leg," he said as they headed for the changing area. "Apparently the ambulances were on their way here with the fellas up front when they found these four on the side of the road. Seeing the state they were in, they decided to bring ‘em along." By now, they were both in scrubs and had washed up. "Regardless of where they come from," Potter continued, "we'll treat 'em like anyone else."

"Right," Hawkeye acknowledged as they stepped into the OR. Moving to the side of the African-American with the gold tattoo, Hawkeye spoke to the nurse. "Okay Kellye, pass me a sponge."

~~~~~

When Lt. Colonel Samantha Carter regained consciousness, it was extremely sudden. The last thing she remembered was watching the earth rush up to meet the jumper, and then…nothing. Opening her eyes, Sam realized that she had to be in a field unit of some kind, likely a hospital. She was lying in a cot, with an IV in her right arm. General O’Neill was in the cot next to her, and she could see Daniel and Teal’c in cots across the tent. They’d all been dressed in white pajamas, and all sported bandages. Looking at her own arms, Sam noted that she, too, had been patched up. Her eyes followed the IV, and widened in shock. What kind of hospital used _glass_ IV bottles anymore?

Then she noticed the woman in a lab coat sitting at a desk near the door, concentrating on paperwork. Some sixth sense must have told the woman she was being watched, for she turned around and met Sam’s blue-eyed gaze with her own brown-eyed one. Quick as lightning, she was out of the chair and out the door.

Sam was in the process of sitting up when the door opened and admitted a different woman, also in a lab coat, and a tall man who was in the process of pulling on his lab coat. This woman had shoulder-length blonde hair and blue eyes, while the man had longer brown hair, a mustache, and kind brown eyes.

“Howdy ma’am, we haven’t been properly introduced” he greeted her, smiling. “I’m Doctor Hunnicutt. I took care of you when you arrived.”

“Lieutenant Colonel Samantha Carter, United States Air Force. Thank you,” Sam responded, slightly bewildered. Even so, she didn’t miss the look that passed between Doctor Hunnicutt and the other woman. That could wait, though. “I don’t mean to be rude, but could you tell me where I am?”

“You’re at the Four-Oh-Seven-Seventh MASH, ma’am,” the woman responded. “I’m Major Houlihan, the head nurse.”

The explanation made no sense to Sam, but she nodded just the same. The confusion must have shown in her face, however, because Major Houlihan clarified: “We’re just below the thirty-eighth parallel, ma’am.”

Something about that statement set off alarms in Sam’s head, but the drugs were playing havoc with her memory. She settled for changing the subject. “Are my friends okay?” she asked as she sat up.

Doctor Hunnicutt looked up from taking her pulse and nodded. “All four of you are going to be fine. I have a couple of questions—”

A groan from the cot beside Sam cut him off. With the IV in her arm, Sam couldn’t get out of the bed, so she settled for calling out. “Sir?”

~~~~~

At the sound of Sam’s voice, Jack’s eyes snapped open. Turning his head so that he could see her caused a stab of pain, but it was worth it when he locked eyes with her. “You okay Carter?”

“Yes sir. You?” Sam asked. She was sitting in a cot not two feet away, wearing white hospital pajamas. It took a second for Jack to realize that she was hooked up to an IV, which was why she wasn’t at his side. A tall man with one of the cheesiest mustaches O’Neill had ever seen, obviously a doctor, sat next to her.

“Margaret, go wake up Hawk and Charles, and get Colonel Potter, too,” the doctor addressed a woman in a lab coat who had been standing at the foot of Sam’s cot. As he spoke, the doctor moved from Sam’s side to Jack’s, not acknowledging the woman’s “Right away, Doctor,” as she headed out the door at high speed.

“How are you feeling?” the doc asked Jack.

“Headache,” Jack responded as he watched the man take his pulse. “And you are?”

“Doctor Hunnicutt,” the younger man introduced himself. “Your headache should go away in a couple of days.”

“Whatever you say,” Jack replied, pulling himself into a sitting position. “No offense, Doc, but what the heck is going on? Where am I?” As he spoke, Jack noted that Daniel and Teal’c were in similar cots across the tent from him and Carter, both also in hospital pjs and each with an IV of their own.

Hunnicutt was about to reply when the door of the tent swung open and admitted two men. Both had obviously just woken up; the black-haired one was still in the process of pulling on a red bathrobe. The door had barely closed behind them when it was yanked back open and the woman returned, followed by a man who looked old enough to be Jack’s father, wearing white surgical scrubs. The first two moved to the space between cots to make room for the new arrivals.

“Well this is cozy,” Jack commented. “Will anyone else be joining us?” Out of the corner of his eye he saw Carter roll her eyes, but relief was evident on her face and he could read her mind: If he was making wise-cracks again he would be fine.

The man in the red bathrobe looked like he was going to make an equally snappy retort, but a glare from the older gentleman stopped him. “Howdy folks,” the elderly man said. “I’m Colonel Potter, the CO around here.”

“General Jack O’Neill. Nice to meet you,” Jack replied. He didn’t miss the surprised looks that were exchanged. “And the rest of these fine folks?”

Surprised or not, the old man covered it well. “Well sir, you’ve already met Doctor Hunnicutt. This here is Doctor Pierce,” the guy in the red bathrobe, “Doctor Winchester,” wearing a light-blue striped bathrobe, “and Major Houlihan, our head nurse,” the blonde in the lab coat.

“Nice to meet all of you,” Jack amended his earlier statement as Hunnicutt stood and joined his colleagues. “Thanks for the help.” He meant it. After the jumper had crashed, Carter had been unconscious and the rest of them hadn’t been in the best of shape. Speaking of Carter: Jack looked her over and aside from a nasty looking bruise on her temple she seemed to be fine.

“Glad to be of service.” Potter nodded at the foot of the cot and raised a questioning eyebrow. “Mind if I sit down?”

Jack motioned for him to do so. “Maybe you can answer my questions, Colonel: What the heck is going on? Where am I? Most importantly, is the rest of my team okay?”

~~~~~

This time, Colonel Sherman Potter did smile. This man reminded him strongly of Hawkeye. “I’ll start with that last question of yours, General. You will all be fine. Miss Carter there--”

“That’s Lt. Colonel Carter,” Jack corrected him.

Sherman glanced at Margaret; she hadn’t told him _that._ “Lt. Colonel Carter,” he acknowledged the young woman in the next cot, “has a mild concussion, smoke inhalation, and some spectacular cuts, but Dr. Hunnicutt took good care of her and she’ll be fine in a couple of days. The concussion and smoke inhalation parts of the diagnosis hold true for the rest of you, also. Your worst injury was a nasty gash on your thigh, which Doctor Winchester cleaned and stitched up. Dr. Pierce took care of the Negro fella—”

“Murray,” Jack supplied.

“Murray,” Sherman agreed, “who needed some work done to a burn on his shoulder, and I took care of the other young man.”

“Daniel,” Jack informed him. “Is he okay?”

“Just one beauty of a black eye and some minor scrapes,” Sherman replied. “Now, as to your other two questions: You are all the guests of MASH 4077 until I, as the CO, say otherwise.” He smiled at the younger man. “And now maybe you can answer one or two questions for me, sir. Most important: How did you folks wind up out in the middle of nowhere in Korea?”

~~~~~

Korea? How the hell had they wound up in Korea? They were trying to get to Cheyenne Mountain!

Jack exchanged a look with Carter. Their time trip was screwed, and the look in her eyes confirmed that she knew that. But also present was a warning about tampering with the past… “I’m afraid that’s classified, Colonel,” Jack told the older man.

Potter didn’t like the excuse, but all he said was “Understood, sir.” Behind the Colonel’s back, however, the rest of the staff were exchanging unreadable looks. “Maybe,” Potter continued, “you could explain why Murray’s stomach looks like someone took a knife to it.”

Crap. They’d seen Teal’c’s symbiote pouch. “Also classified,” Jack responded. “But I can assure you that it doesn’t affect his health in any way.” That was true, now that the snake was gone...

Once again, Potter didn’t like the excuse. Neither did the other doctors; the one named Pierce opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off by a groan from one of the other cots.

“Jack?” Daniel’s voice called out. “Sam? Where are you guys?”

~~~~~

“Over here, Danny-boy,” Jack’s voice responded from across the room.

Daniel slowly sat up, blinking and rubbing his head. “Ow,” he complained. “Where’re my glasses?” he asked, squinting. After that crash, the only place he’d expect to wake up would be the SGC infirmary, which this certainly wasn’t. There seemed to an awful lot of people gathered in the small space, but none of them appeared to be his teammates…

“Here you go,” a female voice, not Sam’s, said, pressing his glasses into his hand. He nodded his thanks and placed them on his face, grateful when the world finally snapped into focus.

The woman who had handed him his glasses stood beside him, smiling. Like Sam, she had blond hair, except hers was almost white and was long enough to brush the shoulders of the lab coat she wore. Looking around, Daniel quickly found Sam in a cot across the tent from him. She was sitting up, and when he met her gaze he could tell how relieved she was the he was okay. In the cot next to her was Jack, surrounded by a group of people who were probably doctors (one of them wore a lab coat, and another wore scrubs).

“What’s going on?” Daniel asked, thoroughly confused. “Where are we?”

“Korea, apparently,” Jack responded.

“Korea?” Daniel repeated, hoping Jack wasn’t trying to be funny. His head was starting to pound…

“That’s right, Danny-boy,” Jack commented, using his “drop it” tone of voice.

“You okay, buddy?” the man in the red bathrobe asked. He had been standing closest to Daniel, and was watching the younger man rub his head.

“My head hurts,” Daniel said. “Could I get something for it?”

“Margaret?” the other man asked the blond in the lab coat. She nodded and departed the room at a fast walk.

It was only as he watched her leave that Daniel realized that they were in a tent in what was probably a field hospital of some kind. But the glass IV bottles and the dress of these people made no sense…Daniel shook his head as the pain redoubled. Jack and Sam were talking with the others again, but the man in the red bathrobe was still watching Daniel.

He sat down on the cot when Daniel squeezed his eyes shut against the pain. “Anything besides your head hurt?”

Definitely a doctor, then. “Not that I can notice right now,” Daniel responded. “I’m sorry. You are?”

“Dr. Benjamin Franklin Pierce.”

“Dr. Daniel Jackson,” Daniel responded without opening his eyes. “Call me Daniel.”

“M.D.?”

Daniel shook his head, regretting it instantly. “Ph.D.”

“Oh.” Why did he sound disappointed? “And you can call me Hawkeye.”

Daniel opened his eyes and looked at the other man. “Last of the Mohicans?”

Hawkeye grinned. “Only book my dad ever read.” He offered his hand, which Daniel shook as the door opened and admitted Margaret, who carried a tray with three small cups.

She handed one to Daniel. “Here you go.”

“Thanks,” Daniel told her, and gratefully swallowed the pills the cup contained as Margaret moved off and gave a cup to each Jack and Sam.

“We’ll leave you folks for awhile,” the elder gentleman of the group told Jack. “If you need anything, one of these fine folks will be checking in on you in an hour.”

“Thanks, Colonel,” Jack responded. The older man nodded and led the way out of the tent, with the others following close behind.

~~~~~

Once the door was closed behind the group, Jack gingerly sat up straighter and swung his legs onto the floor. “You guys alright?” he asked, giving both of them a more thorough inspection than the quick once-over he’d already managed.

“Fine, sir,” Carter responded, also swinging her legs around to the floor.

“I’ll be fine once the drugs kick in,” Daniel told him, staying in his cot. “How’s Teal’c?”

“Don’t know yet about Murray,” Jack responded, indicating that they should use Teal’c’s other name. “He still hasn’t regained consciousness apparently.”

“Well, he did do more work than you or I,” Daniel commented, thinking about how Teal’c had carried an unconscious Sam from the wrecked jumper to the roadside, then returned to help the other two conceal the craft.

“True.” Jack turned to his 2IC, glad that she seemed to be fine. They’d just agreed to try pursuing a relationship; if anything had happened to her now he would not be pleased. “So, Carter, how the hell did we wind up in Korea?”

“I don’t know, sir,” she replied. “I’m guessing that one of the hits we took damaged the time machine. It could have been worse.”

Jack stopped himself before he could ask exactly how it could have been worse, feeling that he probably didn’t want or need to know the answer. “Anyone have any idea where our clothes are?”

“I’m guessing that the doctors took them when they patched us up,” Daniel commented. “I just hope that Murray’s tretonin is still in the pockets of his pants.”

Jack nodded; he’d been thinking along the same lines. Hopefully the docs hadn’t found the syringe, because if T didn’t get his meds things were going to go south real quick. “We’ll ask whichever doc comes by later,” he decided. “In the mean time, everyone should get some more rest.”

Daniel nodded and lay back down. Jack watched him until he fell asleep. “You too, Carter,” he told his 2IC, who was still sitting up, also watching Daniel.

“You first, sir,” she told him. He turned to look at her, and discovered a small smile on her lips.

Jack couldn’t help but smile back. “Together?” he asked. She nodded, so in unison they swung their legs back onto their cots, pulled the covers up, and lay down on their sides, facing one another. Jack watched Sam until she fell asleep, then drifted off himself, still trying to figure out a way to get them home.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [text] indicates Korean speech.

Miles from the 4077, not far from the wrecked puddle jumper, a squad of North Koreans were on a routine patrol. As they walked down the road, one of the men suddenly stopped, signaling the others to do likewise.

[What is it?] one of the others asked.

[I heard something] the one who had stopped, Sergeant Mok, responded. He turned his head from side to side, trying to hear it again. After a few moments he shook his head. [I lost it. It was probably nothing, anyway.]

As he finished speaking, though, four oddly-dressed men jumped into the road, surrounding and leveling staffs at the patrol. “Kree!” one of them barked.

The North Koreans had snapped their guns up when the four men had appeared; now they shot one another questioning looks. Each of the strangers was dressed in a metal outfit that included chain-mail shirts and skirts, boots, breastplates, and shoulder pads with high collars.

“Kree!” the man repeated, shoving the staff under Mok’s nose. Recognizing a command when he heard it, the soldier nodded and lowered his gun, motioning for his men to do the same.

“Onak sha kree, shel Goa’uld,” the staff-wielding man barked.

[What did he say?]

[I think that he asked where our leaders are.] The sergeant spoke, looking above the staff into the eyes of the man holding it. [If you’ll follow me, I’ll take you to our camp.] He made sure to use large, obvious hand gestures, so that the man could understand even with the language barrier.

The other man conversed with his comrades, then nodded to Mok and motioned for him to take the lead. Mok nodded again, and motioned for his men to follow. The ambushers formed up behind them, staffs still at the ready, and followed them. [I hope you know what you’re doing, sir] one of the other North Koreans muttered.

_So do I_ , Mok thought. _So do I_.


	3. Chapter 3

In the two years since he had lost his symbiote, Teal’c had begun to experience dreams on a routine basis. Often they were meaningless, but sometimes he would relive recent events in startling detail. Such was the case now.

_Teal’c sat at the briefing room table as SG-1 and O’Neill discussed the possible discovery of a zero point module. Eventually, O’Neill had agreed to piloting the Ancient ship back in time to attempt recovery of the artifact. As Colonel Carter and Daniel Jackson left to begin preparing for the mission, Teal’c turned to his friend. “Is something the matter O’Neill?”_

_“I have a bad feeling about this, T.”_

_The following morning, SG-1 and O’Neill loaded all supplies into the Ancient ship and took off from Peterson Air Force Base. “I still don’t understand why we aren’t cloaking before we try this,” O’Neill commented as he piloted the craft to the agreed-upon altitude. “For all we know Ra has gliders in orbit.”_

_“We have to take the risk, sir,” Colonel Carter responded, typing on her laptop. “There’s a chance that cloaking while attempting to use the time machine could cause a power failure.”_

_“How big a chance?” O’Neill asked. Colonel Carter shot him a look that caused him to just shake his head and turn back to the controls. “Okay campers, what now?”_

_“I think that we’re ready to try this out, sir,” Colonel Carter responded._

_“Now remember, Jack,” Daniel Jackson spoke up, “three thousand BC. When Sam hooks up the power to the time device, think about that date and nothing else.”_

_“This thing’s Ancient,” O’Neill commented. “How’s it gonna know from BC?”_

_“Well,” Colonel Carter spoke up, “your mind is controlling it. The Ancient computer should be able to extrapolate from your concept of time.”_

_“Well, shouldn’t we test it on a slightly smaller leap? Like, say, to 1908?”_

_“Actually, sir, we were able to determine from the data log that the technology only works in time jumps longer than a couple of hundred years.” At that moment, a row of lights on the time machine turned on. “I think that’s it.”_

_“Three thousand BC,” Daniel Jackson spoke up._

_“Any particular day of this century for ya?” O’Neill snapped at his friend._

_Daniel Jackson merely looked at O’Neill, before closing his eyes and pretending to concentrate. O’Neill sighed and did as Daniel Jackson suggested. Teal’c watched out the viewport as sounds of the time machine powering up became audible. A distortion flashed across the viewport, and then a flash of light. The vessel shook as if it had hit something, and sparks flew out of the console as something in the rear compartment exploded. Smoke began to drift into the cockpit._

_“Carter!” O’Neill yelled. “What the hell was that?” He was doing his best to keep flying, but the craft was listing badly._

_“I think we hit something sir!” Colonel Carter shouted back, scrambling out of her seat and making a beeline for the rear compartment where smaller explosions could be heard._

_“Really?” O’Neill yelled back as he wrestled with the controls._

_Teal’c moved into the copilot’s seat as something flashed past the viewport. “We are being pursued O’Neill,” he informed his friend._

_O’Neill turned back just as two Goa’uld death gliders soared past. “Crap,” he muttered. “Any ideas?” he yelled as a general question._

_“Land?” Daniel Jackson asked._

_“No can do, sir,” Colonel Carter yelled even before O’Neill could respond. “The blast fried one of the engines.”_

_“What about the time machine?” Daniel Jackson asked._

_“Give me a couple minutes,” Colonel Carter responded. Teal’c glanced over his shoulder to see her bent over the laptop connected to the device, typing feverishly. He turned forward again as O’Neill informed her “We may not have that long!” and put the ship into a dive to avoid the pursuing gliders._

_Teal’c did his best to read the instrument panel despite the motion of the ship and the smoke that was now pouring from the rear compartment. “We are losing altitude O’Neill.”_

_“Carter!”_

_“Ready sir!” Teal’c got up and moved back to his seat as Colonel Carter moved forward and resumed her position as co-pilot._

_O’Neill shut his eyes again, and a distortion was once again visible through the viewport. There was another jolt, and then there was Earth rushing up to meet them. Daniel Jackson immediately activated his radio and began trying to contact help. “Mayday! SGC this is Daniel Jackson. We need help. Repeat, this is Daniel Jackson…”_

_“Carter!”_

_“Sorry sir, the right engine is dead! You’ll have to bring us down on just the left!”_

_The next few moments were a jumble of images and sounds, as Daniel Jackson continued to call for help, O’Neill attempted to slow their descent and Colonel Carter worked feverishly to restore power to the right engine. “Left engine’s gone!” Colonel Carter announced as another explosion was heard from the rear compartment._

_“We are so going in!” O’Neill yelled. Outside the viewport, trees were reaching up to grab them. The ship plowed through the trees, coming to a sudden stop and throwing the team against their harnesses._

With a start, Teal’c woke up.


	4. Chapter 4

Major Margaret Houlihan, head nurse of MASH 4077, was making rounds in the VIP tent. It had been a little over an hour since introductions had been made, and Colonel Potter had asked her to take care of the check-in before she went off duty.

Margaret had entered the tent to find that all of them were fast asleep. She started with General O’Neill, who still seemed to her to be too young to be a general. He was doing nicely, she thought, as she checked the IV and made a note on the chart.

Next was Lt. Colonel Carter. Margaret smiled to herself as she thought of how well this woman must do her job to achieve such a rank. She, too, would be fine, provided that she got plenty of sleep to help combat the effects of the concussion.

The African-American, Murray, was still out cold. Margaret wondered how badly he had been hit to keep him down this long. If he didn’t wake up soon Pierce would have to take another look at him.

Dr. Jackson was also out cold. Margaret smiled again when she noticed that he had not managed to take off his glasses before nodding off. She moved to his side and gently pulled the frames off, setting them on the small bedside table. She was making a note on his chart when she felt a pair of eyes on her. Looking up, she made eye contact with Murray.

Quickly, she replaced Dr. Jackson’s chart and moved to sit on the other cot. “Hello, Murray. I’m Major Houlihan, the head nurse here.”

Murray nodded his head in acknowledgement as he looked around. Margaret noticed that he let his eyes rest for several moments on each of his comrades before looking at her again. “Are my friends alright?”

“They’ll be fine,” Margaret assured him.

“Colonel Carter was unconscious--”

“She’s fine,” Margaret repeated. “You’re the last one to wake up. They all were up about an hour ago.”

Murray cocked an eyebrow. “She had a concussion, did she not?”

“Yes, but she’s doing much better now.”

“How long have I been asleep?”

“You’ve been here for two days,” Margaret informed him. “But you were found by one of our ambulances on the road, and we don’t know how long you were there for.”

Murray took a moment to digest that. “Where are my clothes?”

“They’re in a box in the storage room across the compound. Is there something you need?”

Murray hesitated for a second. “I require my next dose of medicine. It should be in the pocket of my pants.”

While Margaret hadn’t been the one to prep him for the OR, she knew that someone would have said something if they had found any drugs. “What kind of medicine?” she asked, thinking that she could probably find some in the supply room.

~~~~~

Teal’c paused, unsure how to answer the Major’s question. She had called him “Murray”, which meant that she was unaware of his true name and origins. From what he could see, his team and O’Neill had inadvertently landed in a different time than planned. Colonel Carter’s warnings about tampering with the past flashed through his head, and in an instant, Teal’c realized that, for the time being, he must conceal the truth.

“Murray?” Major Houlihan spoke again. “I asked if you knew the name of your medicine.”

“I am sorry, Major Houlihan, but I do not.” While he had plenty of practice at it, lying always left a slightly sour taste in Teal’c’s mouth. “Would it be possible for me to speak to one of the doctors?”

“Of course,” the nurse responded, getting up. She left quickly, taking care not to let the door slam and wake the others.

Teal’c was impressed, but he needed to talk to “O’Neill.”

At the sound of his name, O’Neill was awake in an instant. “T,” he greeted his friend, sitting up. “How ya doing?”

“I require my tretonin,” Teal’c informed his friend.

“I know, T,” O’Neill responded. “But as you may have noticed, we’re not exactly in Kansas anymore.”

Teal’c raised his eyebrow. “I had guessed as much. How are--”

He was interrupted by the reappearance of Major Houlihan. She was followed by a tall doctor with blue eyes and black hair that was shot with gray. He nodded to O’Neill on his way to Teal’c’s side. “I’m Doctor Pierce,” he introduced himself as he sat on the cot. “I took care of you when you arrived.”

Teal’c nodded in greeting. “As I told Major Houlihan, I require my next dose of medicine.”

Doctor Pierce nodded. “Margaret told me. I’ll have someone check your stuff, but if it was there I would have been told about it before I treated your burn.”

“Doc,” O’Neill spoke up. “It’s likely your people wouldn’t have recognized Murray’s medicine for what it was. Make sure that they know to look for a little metal tube with four grooves cut in one side.”

Doctor Pierce nodded, which Major Houlihan apparently took a signal to leave the tent. “So Murray,” Doctor Pierce continued, “what’s so special about this medicine?”

Teal’c exchanged a glance with O’Neill. Luckily, this was something that they had discussed just in case he had to go to a hospital during his brief time living off-base. “I have a weakened immune system. This medicine helps to support it so that I do not become ill too often.”

“Antibiotics?” Doctor Pierce asked.

“I believe so,” Teal’c informed him. In truth, he had never heard Doctor Frasier’s classification of tretonin, but suspected that Doctor Pierce was probably close enough. He was saved from more questions by the reappearance of Major Houlihan.

“Is this it?” she asked, holding up the metallic dispenser.

Teal’c held out his hand as he nodded. Major Houlihan passed the tube over, and Teal’c promptly pressed it to his arm, closing his eyes and relaxing as he felt the medicine flow through his blood.

~~~~~

Hawkeye watched as Murray pressed the metal tube to the inside of his wrist. There was a faint sound similar to air escaping a pressurized tank, then nothing else. “Is that all?” he asked after a few moments of silence.

“Indeed,” Murray nodded. “If you will excuse me, Doctor Pierce,” he continued without opening his eyes, “I must rest.”

“Just what I was about to order,” Hawk quipped, getting up off of the cot. “Check on him in a couple of hours Margaret,” he told his colleague as he wrote a note on the chart. “I want to make sure that that medicine isn’t reacting badly with any of the drugs that we already gave him.”

Margaret nodded. “Of course, Doctor.”

“Hey Doc,” a voice behind Hawkeye spoke up. “Trust me on this: he’ll be fine.”

Hawk turned to face General O’Neill. “No offense sir, but how the hell do you know that?”

The general just smiled and closed his eyes, leaving Hawk very confused. “I’m off duty in five minutes, Margaret. Want to get a drink at the Officers’ Club?”

“Sorry Pierce,” the nurse replied. “After a twelve-hour OR shift and two two-hour post-op shifts my only date is with my bunk.”

“Care to make it a double date with me and mine?”

“Not a chance.”

“Okay, but I’ll live to regret this.” With that, Hawkeye made his way out of the VIP tent and headed for the Swamp.

“Hey Hawk,” BJ greeted him, pouring a drink from the still. “Want anything to drink?”

“No thanks.” Hawk managed to hang up his lab coat before collapsing onto his cot. “Hey Beej,” he asked as he wrestled his boots off, “you ever hear of a drug dispenser that doesn’t even break the patient’s skin?”

“Sounds like you’ve been reading science fiction. Why?”

“The guy with the gold tattoo, Murray, asked Margaret to retrieve some medicine for him from his belongings. The dispenser was as long as my finger, metallic, and seemed to inject the contents without breaking the skin.”

By this time, BJ was seated on his own cot and had nearly finished off his drink. “Are you sure there wasn’t a needle?”

“If there was, I didn’t see one.” Hawkeye finally succeeded in removing his stubborn left boot and lay back on his cot, pulling the covers over himself. “Murray didn’t say anything, and O’Neill acted like it was no big deal.”

“What about the others?”

“Both still asleep.”

“Not surprising, considering they all had concussions.” BJ was now also stretched out. “Look at it this way: at least they’re in better shape than most people that come through here.”

“Better looking, too,” Hawkeye commented, thinking of Lt. Colonel Carter.

BJ laughed. “And here I was worried that your eyes weren’t working.”

“Has Potter had any luck with those phone calls?”

“I don’t think he got a chance to make any. He had to re-open Anderson.”

“The kid with the perforated bowel?”

BJ nodded. “Apparently he missed some bleeding from the gall bladder.”

Hawkeye winced in sympathy; he’d missed bleeders himself and it wasn’t fun to have to open the patient again. “Is he sure he found everything this time?”

“Yup.” BJ rolled over and switched off his lamp, plunging the tent into darkness. “G’night Hawk.”

“Night Beej.”


	5. Chapter 5

“Klinger!”

“Yes, oh top-of-the-heap?” Corporal Maxwell Q. Klinger, new company clerk, pushed the door to his CO’s office open. It was about 2300 (11 pm in civilian time), but Max had already learned that being clerk was a 24/7 job.

“I want you to make some phone calls. See if anyone knows anything about a General Jack O’Neill and Lt. Colonel Samantha Carter of the United States Air Force, Dr. Daniel Jackson, or a Murray, no last name.”

“Our visitors in the VIP tent?” Klinger guessed. The colonel had returned to his office in a huff earlier following a talk with those folks; apparently they’d been less than forthcoming with details of how they ended up here. Then something that the Colonel had said clicked. “A _General_?”

Potter nodded. “Yes. And neither he nor the others are willing to give me the answers I need, so we need to go looking.”

“Yes sir,” Max acknowledged, his mind already working on how to convince the new officer to sign off on a Section 8.

One thing to be said for Colonel Potter: he knew his people. “Can the cons, Klinger. Find out where those people are from and how the heck they wound up here!”

“Yes sir,” Max sighed. “Does the colonel want me to do this immediately or can it wait until morning?”

“The sooner the better, son.”

“Yes sir.” Klinger started for his desk, but was stopped when Potter spoke again.

“Klinger, just ask the questions tonight and have people call you back. I know that it’s late.”

“Yes sir. Thank you sir.” Klinger made it to the desk and moved a pile of forms that were covering the phone. Fighting to keep his eyes open, he managed to crank up the power and patch through to the 8063rd. “Hello, Sparky? Klinger here. Look, can you put me through to the Air Force?”

~~~~~

The strangers remained in the VIP tent while Sherman Potter waited for answers to Klinger’s inquiries. None came in the morning, but a fresh batch of wounded arrived, forcing everyone to scrub up and miss lunch.

“Well, at least the cook didn’t get his usual shot at killing us,” Hawkeye quipped as he walked with Potter, BJ, Margaret, and Charles over to the Mess Tent for coffee.

“Colonel Potter! Sir!” Klinger’s voice caused Sherman to stop at the door and turn around. The clerk was running over from the office with a sheet of paper in his hand.

“What is it, Klinger?” he asked as the man caught up. “Any news?”

“So far, no one knows anything. The Air Force folks I spoke with said that if there was a general of theirs in the area, they didn’t know about it.”

Potter didn’t like the sound of that. “What about the names? Do they have any officers of the names I gave you?”

“They've got more than a few Carters currently in the Far East, but they're all men. No O’Neill, no Samantha Carter.”

“Maybe she’s a relative,” BJ suggested as he held the door open. The others had already gone in, grabbed their drinks, and were sitting down.

Potter nodded his thanks to the young man and entered, heading for the serving line. “Maybe,” he agreed, “but the Air Force should still know if she’s an officer. What about the others?”

“Since we don’t have a last name for him, nothing’s turned up on Murray. And we have an almost-match for Dr. Jackson. Sparky says that he’s heard of a Dr. Melburn Jackson, who’s an archaeologist back in the States.”

The last bit of news had been delivered as the trio reached the table the others were sitting at. “So you’re saying you’ve got nothing,” Pierce commented.

“Unfortunately,” Klinger agreed. “But I’m still waiting for a couple of calls to come in.”

“Thanks son,” Sherman replied. “Better go back and wait.” Klinger nodded and moved off as Potter filled in the others on the details they missed.

“I don’t think I like this,” Pierce spoke up. “Not only do we have four strangers drop in unannounced, two of whom are supposedly very high-ranking officers in the Air Force, but said Air Force doesn’t know anything about any of them!”

“I don’t like it either son,” Sherman assured the younger man. “But what can we do?”

“Is it worth tracing that near miss?” Margaret asked.

“I don’t see how we can’t.” Potter sipped his coffee. “I need to know if those people are dangerous.”

“Colonel,” Winchester spoke up, “Mother is an avid scholar of ancient society; she may have heard of Dr. Jackson. With your permission, I will call her in Boston and inquire.”

“Permission granted,” Sherman agreed. The major could be pompous in the extreme, but was a decent surgeon and could occasionally prove useful outside the operating room, as well. “Head on over to the office and take care of it ASAP.”

“Margaret, gentlemen.” Winchester stood and made his way out of the tent.

“What do we do in the meantime?” Hunnicutt asked.

Sherman took a sip of his coffee before replying. “Let’s just keep ‘em in the VIP tent for right now. I don’t want them running around until we know that they can be trusted.”

“What about calling Intelligence?” Margaret asked. “If they’re enemy spies someone needs to come take charge of them.”

“No Intelligence,” Pierce broke in before Sherman could say anything. “With our luck they’d send Colonel Flagg and then everything would make less sense than it does now.” Beside him, Hunnicutt nodded his agreement.

“Captains,” Potter addressed the two surgeons, “let’s leave the command decisions to the commanding officer, shall we?” He turned to Margaret. “Pierce’s point aside Major, we don’t have any evidence that these people _are_ spies. I’m not about to drag Intelligence into this unless it becomes necessary. Otherwise it’s a waste of perfectly good red tape.”

Margaret nodded her understanding. “If you like, sir,” she offered, “I can arrange to have a nurse on duty in there at all times.”

Potter nodded agreement, and the talk turned to the other patients, the latest news in Stars and Stripes, and the possibility of a cease-fire being agreed on in the near future.


	6. Chapter 6

That morning, Sam had once again been the first one to wake up. None of the others were awake, and no doctors or nurses were around, so she occupied herself by mentally working on the current situation of being stranded in an unknown time period. She was assessing the ship’s condition when she heard a noise from one of the other cots. “Daniel?” she asked softly, trying to not wake Jack or Teal’c.

“Morning Sam,” the archaeologist responded, sitting up and reaching for his glasses. “How’re you feeling?”

“Better. How about you?”

“Definitely better,” Daniel agreed. His glasses on, he looked around the tent. “No babysitters?”

“Apparently not.”

“So what were you up to?”

“Just trying to figure out how to get us home.”

“How’s that going?”

“Well, since I don’t know where the ship is, where we are, or _when_ we are, not so good.”

“Well we certainly aren’t in 2005.” Daniel smiled at the mock-glare that Sam shot him. “Didn’t Jack say that we were in Korea?”

“Yeah, but we haven’t found out anything more specific than that.”

“Maybe someone said something yesterday that could give us a more specific frame of reference. Can you tell me what happened before I woke up?”

Sam gave him an account of her own awakening and her initial meeting with Doctor Hunnicutt and Major Houlihan. “She said we were just below the thirty-eight parallel…” Sam trailed off as her mind put the two facts together. Korea, the thirty-eighth parallel…

“Sam?”

“We’re in the Korean War,” Sam told him. She watched as he absorbed that information, then slowly nodded.

“I think you’re right. Which puts us somewhere between 1950 and 1953, right?”

Sam nodded her agreement, relieved that they had at least narrowed down the dates into which they had fallen to a span of four years. “It’s a start,” she commented. “Knowing the exact year would be nice, but if I can fix the ship then it won’t matter. We’d just jump backwards a couple of hundred years then forward to 2005.”

“Can you fix the ship?” Daniel asked.

“I don’t know,” Sam admitted. “I need to take a good look at it, but I have no clue where it is. Do you?”

Daniel shook his head. “I remember hitting the trees, and the next thing I knew I was on the ground outside the ship. Teal’c and Jack must have dragged both of us out, but they were busy trying to put out a fire that had started in the cockpit.”

Sam winced. Her last memory was watching the trees rushing up to meet them, and then incredible pain. “What happened then?”

Daniel started to speak, but stopped at a noise from the cot next to him. “Teal’c?”

“Daniel Jackson,” the Jaffa greeted his friend as he sat up. “I am glad that you are well. You too, Colonel Carter,” he assured her.

“Likewise, Teal’c,” Sam smiled at him. “We were just trying to figure out a way to get home. Can you tell me what happened after we crashed?”

~~~~~

At Colonel Carter’s question, Teal’c’s memories of the crash once again rose to the surface.

_He could not have been unconscious long. This was Teal’c’s first thought on waking, and was based on the fact that the fire in the rear compartment had not consumed the entire vessel. Hastily, he unstrapped himself from his seat and located the fire extinguisher. In the rear compartment, smoke continued to pour from behind several panels. Teal’c quickly removed the panels and turned the extinguisher on the flames, dousing them in a matter of seconds._

_Once he was satisfied that the fire was out, and that there was no other immediate danger, Teal’c opened the hatch to let the remaining smoke dissipate. He then moved back to the cockpit to assess his teammates. Colonel Carter had hit her head on the side bulkhead, but remained strapped to the co-pilot’s seat so Teal’c was reasonably sure that she had suffered no injury to her neck and/or spine. He unstrapped her, carefully lifted her in his arms and carried her out of the ship. After laying her down a little ways away from the ship, Teal’c returned to find O’Neill conscious and attempting to remove his own restraints._

_“Hold still O’Neill,” Teal’c instructed, kneeling next to his friend and reaching for the release._

_“I’m fine Teal’c.” O’Neill pushed the Jaffa’s hands away and hit the release. He stood up, swaying a little but staying vertical. “Carter?”_

_“I have checked her for injuries and moved her outside,” Teal’c informed him, rising to stand. “I have also extinguished the fire in the rear compartment.”_

_“Good job,” O’Neill told him. The general was bent over an unconscious Daniel Jackson, checking the archaeologist’s pulse. “Help me get him out of the seat, Teal’c.”_

_Teal’c inclined his head and gently lifted the young man’s torso out of the seat, allowing O’Neill to carry Daniel Jackson’s legs. Truthfully, Teal’c could have carried the man by himself, but knew that O’Neill liked to feel useful in such situations. He also suspected that the general’s judgment was clouded by a concussion, but refrained from saying so._

_They were setting Daniel Jackson on the ground when they heard an explosion from within the ship. “That can’t be good,” O’Neill commented, leading the way back into the craft. Smoke was issuing from the hatch, and on entering they discovered that the fire was behind several of the panels in the cockpit. O’Neill grabbed the extinguisher Teal’c had used earlier and nodded to the Jaffa to open the appropriate panels. As each panel was pulled aside, O’Neill blasted the mechanisms underneath with the extinguisher. In total, five panels had to be removed._

_“Well that was exciting,” O’Neill commented when the last was taken care of. He placed the extinguisher on the pilot’s seat as he continued speaking. “Teal’c have you seen…Ah!” He snatched a small object off of the control panel._

_“What is it O’Neill?”_

_“You’ll see. Or rather, you won’t.” With this cryptic response the general led the way out of the ship. Teal’c followed, and immediately noticed that Daniel Jackson was sitting up._

_“Hey guys. What’s going on?” he asked._

“I remember this part,” Daniel Jackson now jumped in. “You didn’t get a chance to answer, because Jack was muttering to himself as he tried to use the cloak’s remote.”

“I take it it wasn’t working,” Colonel Carter chuckled.

Teal’c inclined his head in assent. “At this point, O’Neill decided that it was best to send Daniel Jackson to locate assistance while we concealed the craft.”

_“One second, Danny,” O’Neill called the younger man back. Reaching out, he removed the SG-1 and Earth patches from the archaeologist’s jacket. “Okay, now go find help.”_

_Teal’c had already removed his jacket when fighting fires earlier, and now O’Neill did the same. “T, go pull the patches off Carter’s jacket, will ya?” He didn’t wait for Teal’c’s nod of assent, but instead turned towards the ship._

_Teal’c did as asked, then turned back to find that O’Neill had removed an emergency pack and was getting ready to close the hatch. “Trade you,” he offered, holding out the pack. Teal’c accepted it and passed over the patches. O’Neill placed them in a pocket on his discarded jacket then motioned for Teal’c to get off the ramp. O’Neill followed, pointed the remote at the ship, and hit a button. Unlike earlier, this time they were rewarded with a grinding sound as the hatch closed and sealed._

_Without a word, O’Neill moved forward and began to rip branches and vines from the undergrowth, intent on covering the craft. Teal’c placed the pack off to the side and did likewise. They worked in silence and had managed to conceal the majority of the craft when Teal’c heard Daniel Jackson return._

_“There’s a road not far from here,” he told them. “It looks like it’s seen regular use.”_

_“So that’s where we’ll go once this is done,” O’Neill decided. He continued with the work, and did not say anything as Daniel Jackson joined them._

_With all three of them working, it only took minutes more to finish hiding the ship. When the job was done, O’Neill stood back and rubbed the dirt off of his hands. “Nice work,” he said, surveying the results. “Let’s get going. Daniel take point. T, you carry Carter. I’ll cover our six.”_

_Inclining his head, Teal’c headed to their unconscious teammate and once again gently lifted her in her arms._

Daniel Jackson took over the narrative at this point. “When we reached the road, we walked for about twenty minutes. When we found some good cover, Jack insisted that we stop to rest.” He shrugged. “We all must have drifted off, because the next thing I remember is waking up here.”

Teal’c nodded his head. “You fell asleep almost immediately, Daniel Jackson. O’Neill followed soon after. I managed to stay awake for another hour before succumbing to my injuries.”

“I’m not surprised,” Colonel Carter commented. “It sounds like you did a lot of work.”

“That’s what Teal’c does, Carter,” O’Neill piped up from the cot next to her.

~~~~~

Jack had awakened to the sounds of their voices as they chuckled over his problems with the remote that wouldn’t activate the cloak. Rather than letting them know that he was awake, however, he just listened. This was a tactic that he had employed out in the field for many years; it allowed him to be aware of any and all issues, including those that the others may want to keep from him.

The other plus to this tactic was that it allowed him to observe Carter without fear of repercussion. Unfortunately, this never lasted long because she seemed to have a sixth sense that let her know when he was watching her. In fact, Jack was frankly astonished that this time she didn’t seem to notice his attentions until he spoke.

“T always does a lot of work,” he continued, pulling himself up and swinging his legs around so that he now sat facing her. “It’s just what he does.”

Teal’c inclined his head in acknowledgement. He opened his mouth to speak, but was stopped by a knock on the door.

“Enter,” Jack called out, wondering how much of their conversation had been overheard.

The door opened to admit Colonel Potter and Dr. Pierce. “Morning, folks,” the colonel greeted them. “Sorry to interrupt the powwow, but we need to talk.”

“Of course,” Jack responded. He’d been expecting this; Potter hadn’t looked pleased with the classified line Jack had used the last time they talked. “Have a seat,” he offered, motioning to the end of his cot.

“Don’t mind if I do,” the elderly colonel responded, easing down to sit beside Jack. Doctor Pierce took up watch in the aisle between Jack and Daniel’s cots. “We haven’t been introduced,” Potter continued, looking at Teal’c. “I’m Colonel Potter, the CO of this place.”

“It is an honor,” Teal’c replied, inclining his head. “I am known as Murray.”

Potter nodded before turning back to Jack. “I have a few more questions for you, Jack.”

“Ask away.” His tone was light, but Jack’s insides were sinking faster than the Titanic.

Potter was quiet, as if thinking how to phrase his next sentence. “I’m sure you understand,” he finally spoke, “that I have to be sure that my people are safe. When four people, two of whom have no dog-tags, show up on my doorstep, it’s only natural that I try to find out where they came from. But when I call the Air Force and they tell me that they never heard of a General Jack O’Neill or a Lt. Col. Samantha Carter, I suddenly find myself with even more questions.

“Look folks, I’d like to help. But if I don’t get answers from you I’ll have no choice but to call Army Intelligence.”

Jack exchanged glances with each of the team. Daniel was all for it, while Teal’c showed his usual reserved acceptance for Jack’s decision. Finally, he met Sam’s gaze. Her eyes were filled with concern about tampering with the past, but at his raised eyebrow she reluctantly nodded.

“We’ll answer your questions, but first you have to answer one of mine,” Jack told the older man. “What year is it?”

“Excuse me?” the colonel asked after a brief pause.

“What year is it?” Jack repeated as patiently as he could. It wasn’t the first time they’d had to explain something like this, but that didn’t make it any easier.

“Jack…” Daniel started to say something, but the glare Jack threw his way silenced him.

“Nineteen-fifty-two,” Potter responded. His words caused Jack to exchange an astonished glance with Teal’c.

_Okay, definitely further than last time. Let’s see, two-thousand-five minus nineteen-fifty-two is…_ but the concussion, the drugs, or both were still causing problems with his mind. That or his math skills still sucked. “Carter,” he turned towards his former 2IC. “My math skills are a little rusty, but that’s fifty---”

“Three years, yes sir,” she completed his sentence. Her eyes held his, saying that she had already figured it out.

“Forgive me.” The voice drew Jack’s attention back to the elderly doctor. “The thinker’s taking a little time this morning. What’s the significance of fifty-three years?”

_Here we go_ , Jack thought, mentally bracing himself for any conceivable reaction. “That’s how far back in time my team and I have travelled.”


	7. Chapter 7

_Dear Dad,_

_I’m sorry that it’s been so long since my last letter, but business has unfortunately been booming. This latest batch also brought four strangers who seem to have taken a wrong turn somewhere…_

Time travel? Had he not been wearing the lab coat, Hawkeye’s first instinct would have been to laugh. And, really, who wouldn’t? On first hearing, the so-called general’s statement sounded like the punch line of a bad joke.

But Hawk had years ago trained himself to not laugh at anything a patient said, regardless of how ludicrous it might sound. So instead of laughing, Hawkeye merely traded astonished glances with his CO.

Years of listening to patients had also given Colonel Potter a decent poker face. After a few moments, he broke eye-contact with Hawkeye and turned back to the patient. “Forgive me if I sound a little skeptical, sir, but I thought that time travel was the realm of science fiction.”

“So did I,” the other man muttered. “Look,” O’Neill returned his voice to normal volume, “I know that it sounds crazy, but it’s true.”

“Uh, Colonel,” Hawkeye broke in, “could I speak to you outside?”

Potter barely glanced at the surgeon before nodding his head in agreement. “’Scuse us, folks,” he told the others as he got up from the cot and followed Hawkeye out of the tent.

_The hardest part about this job, Dad, is when the problem is with the patient’s mind, especially if said patient is otherwise healthy. I know that you occasionally run into this in your practice, but here it’s sadly a lot more common. When we’ve done all we can, we call in the cavalry._

The door had barely closed when Hawkeye opened his mouth, but Potter held up his hand. “I’m way ahead of you son. Let’s walk over to the office and get Klinger to dial Sidney’s number.” He shook his head as Hawkeye fell into step with him. “I don’t get it Pierce. I know that people who aren’t in their right minds say all sorts of things, but time travel? That’s the realm of bad science fiction stories.”

The colonel’s statement triggered Hawk’s memory about the incident that had occurred the previous day. “That’s not the only thing, Colonel.” He quickly related everything that had happened with Murray and his medicine. “I meant to tell you sooner, but OR kind of distracted me.”

“Understandable, son,” Potter responded as he pulled open the office door. They were greeted by the sight of Klinger on the phone, obviously trying to make someone hear him.

“Look sir, I just need to know if you have a relative named Samantha Carter….About five-nine, blonde hair, blue eyes. She claims to be a Lt. Col. in the Air Force….Okay. Thanks for your time, sir.” The clerk hung up and turned to his visitors.

"What was that all about?" Potter asked.

"Well, you wanted information about those patients, and since the Air Force didn't officially know anything, I figured I'd try calling some of those Carters they did know about and see if any of them had a relative that matched the description of our visitor."

Hawkeye didn't know whether to laugh or scream. "There were over fifty names on that list!"

"I picked a few at random. Like this Second Lieutenant Jacob Carter on Guam. Actually, I'm pretty sure my ancestors' spirits guided me there..."

The colonel held up a hand to stop the younger man before he really got going. "No luck, I take it."

“And he says he doesn’t recognize the name or the description,” Klinger nodded. “Sorry Colonel.”

“Nothing to be sorry about, son,” Potter reassured the younger man. “It was worth a try. Now I need you to get back on the phone and give Dr. Freedman a call.”

“Yes sir,” Klinger responded. He turned back to the phone and began placing the call as Hawkeye followed Potter into the latter’s office.

“I don’t get it Pierce,” the older man said, sitting at his desk, “those folks seemed perfectly sane.”

“So do a lot of the other guys we call Sidney for,” Hawk reminded him, thinking of several of those cases. The worst part was, sometimes they didn’t get better.

“True,” Potter agreed. They sat in silence, only to have it interrupted by Klinger.

“I got through to Dr. Freedman, sir. He’ll be here tomorrow.”

_I have to run Dad. It’s time for rounds, and then the weekly staff meeting._

_Your son,_

_Hawkeye_

~~~~~

Major Charles Emerson Winchester III, of Boston, Massachusetts, graduate of Harvard Medical School, was enjoying one of his Mozart records in the Swamp when someone banged on the door.

“Sir!” Klinger’s voice broke into the gentle strains of music. Before Charles could berate the corporal’s timing, however, the man continued: “I’ve got your mom on the phone!”

All thoughts of harming the younger man flew out of Charles’ head as he hastily removed the needle from the record and shut off the record player. When he had initially attempted to contact his mother just a few hours ago, she had been at one of her friends’ houses and thus unable to come to the phone. Instead, Charles had left a message with the maid, who had assured him that his mother would call as soon as possible.

Not quite running, Charles nevertheless managed to arrive at the office mere feet behind Klinger, who was holding the phone out for him. “Mother!” he greeted the woman on the other end of the line, snatching the handset away from the company clerk. Klinger, used to the major’s behavior, merely shrugged and left the office.

“Charles, it is good to here your voice!” Mrs. Dolores Winchester responded. “I was surprised when Mary said that you had called. How are you sweetheart? Is everything alright?”

“I am well, Mother. I was calling to ask you a question. Have you heard of a Dr. Melburn Jackson?”

“Why yes I have darling. I could send you some of his papers…”

“That won’t be necessary Mother. I was just calling to see if you knew of any relative of his known as Dr. Daniel Jackson.”

There was silence on the line for a few moments. “Not to my knowledge, sweetheart. Why? What is going on there in Korea?”

Charles hesitated, not knowing how much he should or could tell her. He was saved from having to make a decision, however, by Klinger running back into the office. “’Scuse me, sir!” he said, reaching over Charles and activating the PA system. “Choppers on the landing pad! Ambulances in the compound!” he called into the microphone.

“I’m sorry Mother but I have to go,” Charles told her. “I’ll be in touch.”

“Good-bye darling,” his mother responded as he hung up the phone. Sighing, Charles rushed out of the office towards the ambulances that had pulled up and began triaging patients.


	8. Chapter 8

“Here we are, Doc,” the driver said, pulling the jeep in front of the office.

“Thank you Corporal,” Dr. Sidney Freedman retrieved his duffel from the back seat of the vehicle and turned towards the door as the young man pulled away. Opening the door, the psychiatrist was greeted by the sight of piles of paper stacked on the desk, and one very harassed-looking company clerk muttering to himself as he waded through the mess. “Hello, Max,” Sidney greeted the man.

“Dr. Freedman,” the non-com looked up from the desk. “Tell me something sir: how is it that for every one form I _want_ to fill out there are twelve others that I _have_ to fill out?”

“I haven’t the faintest idea.”

Klinger shrugged and pushed himself away from the desk. “C’mon, sir; Colonel Potter’s in Post Op.”

“I’ll find him myself, Corporal. You have enough work to do.”

“I could use a break,” the younger man insisted as he led the way to the Post Op ward. Smiling to himself, Sidney followed the corporal through the door in the back of the office and into the recovery area. “Colonel Potter sir,” Max tapped the man seated at the desk on the shoulder, “Dr. Freedman’s here.”

“Sidney!” the older man got up and held out his hand.

“Colonel,” Sidney replied, taking the offered hand. Before he could say anything else, his attention was drawn by a comment from further down the ward.

“Uh-oh, must be a head-shrinking convention in town.”

“Good to see you too, Hunnicutt,” Sidney greeted the surgeon. “Where’s your cell mate?”

“Getting some quality sack-time,” BJ replied, looking slightly envious.

“You’ll have to forgive the attitudes, Sidney,” Potter broke in. “We just had another marathon OR session. Hunnicutt, would you kindly rouse your bunkies and have them meet us in my office? Klinger, please get Major Houlihan and have her do likewise, then get Nurse Kellye and Nurse Baker to take over here in Post Op.”

“Right away, sir,” Klinger acknowledged, already halfway to the door.

Sidney followed Potter back through the ward and Klinger’s office. “So, colonel, where are my patients?” the psychiatrist asked as they made their way into the CO’s office.

“We’ve been keeping ‘em in the VIP tent,” Sherman replied, motioning for Sidney to have a seat. “Figured it was for the best.”

“Well I can’t tell you whether that was the right call until I know what’s wrong with them.”

Potter was now sitting behind his desk. Just as he opened his mouth, the office door swung open, admitting the rest of the surgical staff. “Hey Sidney,” Hawkeye greeted his fellow doctor. “How’s business?”

“Too good,” Sidney replied. “And you folks seem determined to do your part.”

“Believe me, I had nothing to do with it this time,” the chief surgeon assured him, taking a seat on the saddle form that occupied the wall next to the colonel’s desk. “I’m pretty sure these people were crazy when they got here.”

“And he’s the expert,” Hunnicutt chimed in, claiming space on a table at the back of the office. Before Potter could reprimand him, the doors to the office swung open again, admitting Major Houlihan and Klinger.

“Okay folks,” Potter drew attention to himself as the others took seats or stood around the room. “By now you all know the claims of our visitors in the VIP tent have made---”

“Actually sir---” Klinger interrupted.

“Now let’s recap them for Sidney,” the colonel spoke over the younger man. “Klinger, don’t you have paperwork to do?”

“Yes sir.” The corporal looked slightly abashed, and headed for the outer office with a definite slump in his shoulders.

Sidney watched the non-com go before turning back to Potter.

“Don’t give me that look Sidney,” Sherman told the psychiatrist. “I’ll make it up to him later.”

Sidney shrugged his shoulders and moved on. “What can you tell me about these patients?”

“They were brought in by ambulance a few days ago,” Potter told him. “Looked like they’d been in a crash of some kind.”

“What were their physical injuries?”

“Concussions, smoke inhalation, contusions---” Winchester started.

“Burns---” BJ interjected, not paying attention to the look he was receiving from Winchester.

“And cuts and scrapes,” Hawkeye finished, also ignoring Charles’ glare. “And they were all unconscious when they were brought in.”

“Don’t forget Murray’s stomach,” BJ piped up.

“Oh right. The black guy, Murray, has this weird X-shaped cut on his stomach, but it wasn’t bleeding.”

“Interesting. Any internal injuries?”

“Surprisingly enough, no,” Sherman responded. Seeing Sidney’s raised eyebrows, he shook his head. “I know. We were amazed, too.”

“How long were they unconscious for?”

“Twenty-four hours,” Margaret spoke up. “They all woke up within an hour of one another the day after they were brought in.”

“We questioned them as to who they were,” Potter spoke up, forestalling Sidney’s next question. “They claim to be General Jack O’Neill and Lt. Colonel Samantha Carter of the United States Air Force, Dr. Daniel Jackson, and Murray.”

“I assume that you contacted the Air Force.”

“First thing that we did,” Potter replied. “No dice.”

“Spies?”

Sherman shook his head. “Thought of that, but it just doesn’t seem to fit. We’ve held off on calling Intelligence for the time being.”

“I assume they have an explanation for their circumstances.”

“It’s a doozy, Sidney,” Hawkeye piped up. At the psychiatrist’s raised eyebrow, the other man continued, “They claim to be time-travelers.”

For a few moments, there was absolute silence in the office. Sidney could feel his eyes getting wider as Hawkeye’s statement sank in. Normally, he prided himself on his inability for patients to surprise him, and his poker face when they did manage the trick. This time, though, his talents deserted him. “Excuse me?” he asked.

“That was our reaction,” Sherman affirmed. “And that’s why we called you.”

The psychiatrist’s mind was racing, running through everything he’d learned in medical school, searching for something to help him. “Well,” he explained, “we all know that head wounds can lead to hallucinations. Now you said that they were unconscious.” The other doctors nodded. “Have they made any other claims?”

“Well, I don’t know that I’d call it a claim…” Hawkeye said, but then dutifully related the story of Murray’s medicine. “I still don’t know what to make of it,” the surgeon concluded.

“I’m sorry to say it, but neither do I.” Sidney got quiet for a few moments while his mind continued to race. “I can’t come up with any working theory until I talk to them,” he stated, somewhat apologetically.

“All right, Sidney,” Potter responded, nodding and getting up as well. “Pierce will take you over to the VIP tent. I’ll have Klinger put your things in the Swamp.”

Sidney nodded his thanks as he and the other colonel followed Pierce out into the main office area. “I appreciate that, Sherman,” the psychiatrist began, but trailed off when he realized that the outer office was empty.

Potter had noticed it, too. “Where the devil is Klinger?”

~~~~~

Jack and SG-1 couldn’t see what was going on outside the tent, but they could hear. The previous evening, they’d heard when the wounded had arrived. Later that night, they were awakened by the arrival of still more wounded. It was no surprise, therefore, that they were almost as crabby as the doctors when they were finally woken up by a knock on the door.

“Lunch!” an all-too-cheerful voice announced.

Jack started swearing under his breath, and then sat bolt upright as the voice’s statement sank in. _Lunch?_

“Good morning, O’Neill,” Teal’c greeted him.

“Did I hear correctly, Murray? It’s _lunchtime_?”

Teal’c inclined his head. “Indeed.”

Jack started to ask why they hadn’t been woken up earlier, but was interrupted by more knocking. “Lunch!” the voice repeated.

“Lunch?” Carter echoed, sitting up.

“Apparently so,” Jack responded as Daniel also sat up. Before the knocking could start again, he raised his voice. “Come in!”

“I was starting to think I should bring this back later,” the voice commented as the door was pulled open. “Mind you, it wouldn’t have been any more appetizing, just a couple of hours older.”

Jack wasn’t listening. In fact, ever since their visitor had entered the tent, all Jack had been able to do was stare.

The voice belonged to a man. So did the head: short black hair, kind brown eyes, and a mountain of a nose. But the rest of the body…A black evening dress that showed a little too much chest hair and went only to the knees, pantyhose that failed to hide a rather large amount of leg hair, and black pumps. Looking back up at the face, Jack also noticed a set of nice pearl earrings and a pearl necklace. “Something wrong, sir?” the man was asking.

Jack had to work his mouth a couple of times before anything would come out. “And you are…?”

“Corporal Maxwell Q. Klinger, company clerk. At your service, sir.” He moved between the cots, placing the trays on the little tables between each pair. “Will there be anything else sir?”

“Corporal, about your dress…”

“Magnificent, isn’t it? Only $12.50 in Tokyo.”

Jack caught Sam’s eye. She looked torn between amusement and horror at the soldier’s behavior. Daniel looked equally nonplused, and Teal’c’s right eyebrow was doing its best to disappear into his hair. Jack turned back to the corporal, who looked at him as if nothing was out of the ordinary. “Corporal…”

“Klinger!” Sherman Potter’s anger was palpable as he stormed into the tent, followed by another man that Jack didn’t recognize. “Get out of that frou-frou and back into uniform! I’ve got requisitions waiting, and if you don’t move it one of them will be for a new company clerk!”

Klinger opened his mouth, but at a look from the colonel merely said, “Yes, sir,” and departed. Potter watched as Klinger departed before turning back to the others.

“I’m sorry about Klinger, sir,” the elderly colonel apologized. “He’s convinced that if he dresses in women’s clothing often enough, he’ll be able to con some officers into signing off on a Section 8.”

Jack nodded in understanding. A Section 8 discharge would allow the corporal to go home and get out of the Army, but it did so by saying that he was crazy. The corporal wasn’t the first man to try this stunt, and certainly wouldn’t be the last. “I take it no one’s fallen for it.”

“Thankfully, no,” Potter shook his head. He motioned behind him, and the other man stepped forward. Years of training kicked in and Jack analyzed the man quickly and efficiently.

He was a major, as evidenced by the oak leaves on his shoulders. Standing about the same height as Potter, he had short, curly salt-and-pepper hair and a wiry build that caused his uniform to hang loosely on him. His was an open, caring face, but there was an aloofness that Jack thought he recognized… “Folks, this is Dr. Sidney Freedman,” Potter introduced the man.

“Pleased to meet you, Doc,” Jack spoke up. “I’m guessing you’re not a surgeon.”

Freedman shook his head as he stepped forward. “I take it you’re General O’Neill.”

“In the flesh.”

“Then you,” Freedman turned to Carter, “must be Lt. Colonel Carter,” Sam nodded, “Dr. Jackson,” Daniel nodded, “and Murray.” Teal’c inclined his head in agreement. “You’re right, sir,” he continued, turning back to Jack. “I’m not a surgeon. I’m a psychiatrist.”

The last statement set the alarms in Jack’s head clanging. He’d had too many run-ins with the SGC’s resident shrink, Dr. MacKenzie, over the years to trust anybody who shrank heads for a living, and he knew that the rest of his team felt the same.

“I’m guessing that you don’t like psychiatrists,” Freedman observed, motioning for Potter to leave. “Can you tell me why that is?”

~~~~~

“Look Doc,” Jack said as the other man took a seat, “no offense meant, but we’ve dealt with some shrinks who could best be described as quacks.”

Daniel winced. _Only Jack…_

Surprisingly, Dr. Freedman didn’t seem to be insulted. “I’m sorry to hear that, General. I’ll have to see what I can do to change your mind about me.”

_In your dreams._ Daniel knew that that was what Jack was thinking, and couldn’t help but agree. Ever since the time Ma’chello’s Goa’uld-detecting device had caused him to present symptoms of schizophrenia, Daniel had also possessed a dubious opinion of psychiatrists in general and Dr. MacKenzie in particular.

Apparently, his poker face still needed work. “I take it that you don’t like psychiatrists either, Dr. Jackson,” Freedman commented.

“Not really,” Daniel responded.

“Doc,” Jack called the older man’s attention back to him, “can I guess that Potter called you because he thinks we need to visit the funny farm?”

Freedman didn’t even try to deny it. “You must admit Jack—can I call you Jack?” Daniel was surprised when Jack nodded. “You must admit,” Freedman continued, “you’ve been making some pretty wild claims.”

“But sir,” Sam spoke up for the first time, “the fact that we’ve travelled back in time is the truth!”

Freedman was quiet for a moment, apparently lost in thought. “Tell you what,” he finally said. “Why don’t you tell me exactly how you happened to wind up in Korea? Then I can see if Colonel Potter was right to call me.”

Daniel joined in the glance that passed around, shrugging. _What have we got to loose?_

Jack apparently agreed. “Well, it all started when a good friend of ours died…”

~~~~~

_Four hours later_

Hawkeye and BJ were playing volleyball with a blown-up rubber glove when Potter walked in. “Have either of you seen Sidney?”

“Hasn’t he given you a report yet?” Hawkeye asked, concentrating on the game.

“No.”

At this, Hawkeye turned around just as the “ball” sailed over the clothesline “net” and hit him in the head. “What?”

“He’s been in there for four hours,” BJ commented. “Think we should go bang on the door?”

“That won’t be necessary,” Sidney interjected, entering the tent.

“There’s our favorite shrink!” Hawkeye greeted the other doctor. “We were starting to think that you’d gotten lost.”

“What’s the verdict, Sidney?” Potter asked.

“Well they certainly believe everything that they’re saying,” Sidney allowed, sitting on the cot that held his things.

“So do most of our other patients that we call you for,” BJ reminded him.

“Yes, but these people are different.”

“How so?” Potter asked.

Sidney paused, apparently mulling over how to say it. “I’ve never had even two patients who shared the same hallucination or whatever it is,” he finally said. “But these four were finishing one another sentences. Either they are affected by some illness that I’ve never heard of before or…”

“Or what?” Hawkeye impatiently asked.

“Or they really have travelled fifty-odd years into the past.”

Silence greeted this statement. Finally, Colonel Potter spoke up. “What do you suggest we do, Sidney?”

“Well since I can’t diagnose any disease, I think the safest thing to do would be to see if we can’t find the sight of the crash. If it doesn’t exist, then we can work on attempting treatment.”

“And if it does exist?” BJ asked.

Sidney shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t have any advice for you. Time-travel is a little outside of my field of study.”

“I’ll have Klinger get in touch with the ambulance driver who brought them in,” Potter spoke up. “He should be able to tell us where they were picked up. Sidney, can you stick around until we find out which course of action we’ll be taking?”

“Of course.”

“Hunnicutt, gather up Margaret and Winchester and bring them to my office. Pierce, Sidney, let’s head over and I’ll have Klinger make those calls.”

BJ took off for Post Op. The others had almost reached the office when a horn sounded behind them. They turned just as a Jeep driven by Father Mulcahy pulled to a stop. “Colonel! Hawkeye! And Sidney! What are you doing here?”

“Padre,” Potter greeted the younger man. “Why don’t you join us in my office? You may as well hear this too.”

“Certainly sir.” Despite the confusion evident on his face, he hopped out of the Jeep and, motioning for a passing corporal to return it to the motor pool, followed the other men into the office area.

Potter was talking to Klinger about phone calls, so the priest followed Hawkeye and Sidney into the colonel’s office. “Hawkeye, what’s happened while I was at the orphanage?”

“Well Father, with no one to confess to the entire camp has gone crazy.” Seeing the glare the priest was aiming at him, Hawkeye dropped the flippancy. “A few days ago, these four people were brought in--”

“They claim to be from the future, Padre,” Colonel Potter interrupted as he breezed in and sat behind his desk. “That’s why we called in Sidney.”

“Time travel?” the priest asked, pushing back his Panama hat to scratch his head. “That’s very odd.”

“Glad you agree,” Hawkeye quipped. Before he could say anything else, however, the office doors swung open to admit BJ, Charles, and Margaret.

“Okay gang,” Potter addressed them as they all got settled. “Sidney’s talked with our guests in the VIP tent, and I thought that all of us should hear what he’s discovered.”

“As I told the colonel, this is a unique situation,” Sidney explained. “I’ve never before encountered a group of people who claim to remember the same things with this amount of detail. I’m faced with two possible conclusions: they’re either affected by some as-yet-unknown disease, or they really are from the future.”

There was silence for a moment as Charles, Margaret, and Father Mulcahy absorbed this statement. It was Margaret who spoke up first. “What do you suggest we do, Sidney?”

“Again, as I’ve already suggested to the colonel, it would be easier to disprove their story than to prove my new-disease theory.”

“I have Klinger calling the ambulance drivers who brought them in,” Potter informed them. “When we get those directions I’m gonna need a couple of volunteers to drive out that way--”

“I’ll do it.” “Yo.” “I’ll take care of it sir.” Hawkeye looked in surprise at BJ and Margaret before turning back to find the same look on Colonel Potter’s face. Before the CO could say anything, Klinger pushed through the door.

“Just got off the phone with the drivers, sir, and I’ve got their route.”

“Okay folks,” Potter addressed the three who had volunteered. “Looks like you’ll all be going. Margaret, take Sidney with you and let our guests know about the trip. Pierce, Hunnicutt, go ahead and sign out two Jeeps from the motor pool.”


	9. Chapter 9

Forty-five minutes later, Teal’c and Sam were sitting in a Jeep with Dr. Hunnicutt driving and Dr. Freedman navigating. Behind them was a second vehicle driven by Dr. Pierce and containing Daniel, General O’Neill and Major Houlihan. Sam wasn’t complaining about the seating arrangements; she rolled her eyes as she remembered the scene before they left the camp.

_Major Houlihan had just left after explaining that they were going to take a field trip to see if they could find the downed ship. “I’m guessing that we’re getting new clothes,” O’Neill called after her as the door closed._

_Sam just smiled and shook her head as she clambered out of her cot. “Back in a minute, sir,” she told him as she pulled on the housecoat Major Houlihan had dropped off the previous day._

_O’Neill nodded and let himself get drawn into a discussion with Daniel over some detail about where the crash site might be. Teal’c nodded to her as she exited the tent._

_Considering that it was located in the middle of a war zone, Sam thought that the camp was actually in pretty decent shape. Several prefab buildings, such as Pre-Op, the OR, Post-Op, and the camp office filled out one end of the camp; the rest of the “buildings” were actually tents of varying sizes. Truthfully, the worst part was that there was very little grass, which meant that the place was likely the world’s biggest mud pit when it rained. Of course, the wooden sheds that housed the latrines were on the opposite side of the camp from the VIP tent._

_Sam was heading back to the tent when she heard a voice behind her. “Why Colonel Carter, imagine meeting you here!”_

_Sam turned around to see Dr. Pierce emerging from a tent labeled “The Swamp” that occupied the center of the compound. “Doctor,” she greeted him._

_“My friends call me Hawkeye,” he told her as he approached her._

_“But I’m a patient.”_

_“Friends and patients I like, then,” he amended his earlier statement as he fell into step with her. “Have you heard about our little road trip?”_

_“Major Houlihan just told us,” Sam responded. “I’m glad.”_

_“You’re not enjoying our resort?” Hawkeye asked as they reached the VIP tent._

_Sam had to smile; it was the same kind of comment that Jack would make. “No offense meant, but our mission is rather important.”_

_“Traveling to the past to protect the future?” he asked, leaning against a support beam._

_“Something like that,” Sam allowed. It would be too much work to explain that they had been attempting to retrieve an alien power source to protect a military base in another galaxy._

_“Is everybody in the future as beautiful as you?”_

_“Excuse me?” Sam exclaimed, totally thrown by the change of subject._

_“’Cause you’re definitely one of the best looking women I’ve ever seen.”_

_He was flirting with her! Luckily, Sam was saved from having to come up with a response when the door of the tent opened and Teal’c emerged. “Colonel Carter, Doctor Pierce,” he greeted them as he strode across the compound towards the latrine. Sam took the opportunity to duck back inside the tent. Hawkeye didn’t follow._

“Any of this look familiar?” Dr. Freedman asked over the noise of the Jeep’s engine.

Sam just shook her head. “I was unconscious,” she reminded him.

Before the psychiatrist could respond, Teal’c leaned forward. “There,” he told Hunnicutt, pointing to the left-hand side of the road. The doctor nodded and pulled over on their side of the road in a convenient clearing. By the time he shut off the vehicle, Dr. Pierce had also pulled over. “What’s up Beej?”

“Beats me,” the surgeon responded. Teal’c had taken off across the road as soon as the Jeep had stopped and was now rooting through the bushes. Within moments, he emerged carrying a pack.

“The emergency pack!” Daniel exclaimed. “It must’ve gotten left behind when the medics found us.”

“Indeed,” Teal’c confirmed, climbing back into the Jeep. “We are nearing the crash site.” He passed the pack to Sam before climbing back in. “Doctor Hunnicutt, you should continue on this road for another three-quarters of a mile.”

Hunnicutt blinked and started up the Jeep. Sure enough, three-quarters of a mile further on Teal’c once again leaned forward. Before he said anything, Hunnicutt had already begun to pull over.

“You’re sure this is the place?” he asked as they clambered out of the Jeep.

“I am certain,” Teal’c responded. Barely glancing in either direction, he jogged across the road as Hawkeye’s Jeep pulled in behind Hunnicutt’s. The others clambered out and followed.

“No offense Murray,” Hawkeye spoke as they reached the other side, “but how can you be certain?”

“Trust me Doc,” O’Neill told him as Teal’c headed into the forest, “if he says this is the place then it is. Besides, I recognize this place too.”

Further conversation was stalled as Teal’c re-emerged from the forest. “This way.”

~~~~~

BJ wasn’t sure what to think as he followed Murray into the forest. Part of him still thought that these people were a few cards short of a full deck, but another part of him was starting to wonder if that assessment was accurate. The three men, at least, moved with a sureness in their step that said they were familiar with their surroundings.

He was surprised when they reached a small clearing after only a few minutes’ walk, and more surprised to see the state of the place. It certainly looked as though something had crashed here: trees with branches missing or broken off, the missing branches scattered all over the forest floor along with rocks and other debris, and a long, wide furrow in the ground where something had hit and slid, sending dust and rocks flying.

BJ suddenly realized that he’d stopped dead, staring at the damage. Looking around, he noticed that Hawkeye, Sidney, and Margaret had done likewise, while General O’Neill, Colonel Carter, Dr. Jackson, and Murray had all moved towards the end of the clearing that the skid mark seemed to lead to. A mass of branches and other greenery was there; the four were beginning to strip the mound away in their eagerness to get to whatever lay beneath. As he watched, BJ noticed the sun’s light reflecting off of something within the mound. Within moments, the four patients had succeeded in uncovering a metal cylinder taller than Hawkeye.

“My God,” Margaret murmured next to him, and he knew without looking that she’d noticed it too. “It’s real.”

~~~~~

“The outside doesn’t look too bad,” Daniel observed as they continued to clear the plant life away.

“This drive pod is intact,” Teal’c informed him as he worked on uncovering the left side of the vehicle.

“The right one is, too, but some of the crystals are fried,” Sam informed them as she came around the back end of the vehicle and knelt by Teal’c. She removed a panel on the drive pod and began removing crystals and examining them.

Jack had stepped away from the jumper and was digging in the emergency pack for something. “Ah ha!” he exclaimed. Daniel looked over to see his friend standing up, triumphantly holding the ship’s remote in his hand. He thumbed a button, and Daniel turned back to the vessel as he heard the whirr of the door descending. “Nice,” Jack muttered, bounding into the vehicle.

Leaving Sam and Teal’c to continue their work, Daniel followed Jack. “Wow,” he muttered, surveying the damage. “I don’t remember it being this bad.”

“Yeah, well, you weren’t in the best of shape when we were here last,” Jack replied, moving into the cockpit.

“True,” Daniel agreed as he took in the smoke damage and the open panels that revealed half-melted crystals. “I hope none of those controlled critical systems.”

“Give me five minutes and I’ll tell you,” Sam responded as she squeezed by him and knelt on the left hand bench. As she busied herself with the crystals in one of the open panels, Daniel headed into the cockpit.

“Sam’s taking a look at the damage,” he stated, sliding into the co-pilot’s seat.

“I heard,” Jack replied. He had yanked his pack out from under the pilot’s seat and was digging through it for something.

“O’Neill.” Teal’c’s voice caused both men to face the doorway.

“How’s the outside look, T?”

“There is considerable cosmetic damage to the right-hand side of the vehicle, as well as damaged crystals in both drive pods.”

“What about the time machine?”

“I haven’t had a chance to look at it yet, sir.” Sam’s head poked up over Teal’c’s shoulder.

“Well we’re not in any hurry Carter,” Jack promised her. “Take all the time you need.”

“Yes sir,” Sam smiled. As she disappeared, Daniel noticed another face over Teal’c’s shoulder.

Or rather, a hat.

Jack noticed it, too. “What can I do for you, Doc?” he asked.

“I wanted to apologize,” Dr. Freedman explained as Teal’c moved aside. “I was wrong to doubt your story.”

Daniel exchanged a surprised look with Jack. A psychiatrist sincerely apologizing for a misdiagnosis? Now he had seen everything.

They turned back to the psychiatrist. “Apology accepted, Doc,” Jack told the older man. “Tell you what,” he continued, getting out of his seat, “let’s talk outside so Carter can work.”

Teal’c and Dr. Freedman headed back outside, Daniel and Jack joining them as Hawkeye, Dr. Hunnicutt and Major Houlihan approached the rear of the jumper. “So what now?” Hawkeye asked.

“Now we wait to see if Carter can fix it,” Jack replied.

~~~~~

It was rather nice, actually, this business of not being under fire when trying to fix something. Sam figured that she had been working a good fifteen minutes before she finally got up from the time machine. Brushing off her hands, she approached Daniel, who was talking to Hawkeye just outside the jumper.

“Hey,” he greeted her. “All done?”

She nodded. “Where’s--”

“Jack went for a walk,” Daniel explained.

Sam wasn’t that surprised. She noticed that Teal’c was talking to Dr. Freedman over by the left drive pod, and Dr. Hunnicutt and Major Houlihan were seated on the ramp, engaged in a discussion of their own. Scanning the rest of the clearing, she noticed the general heading back towards the ship. When he saw her, he sped up slightly.

“What’s the damage Carter?” he asked once he was close enough. His voice drew everyone’s attention. Teal’c excused himself from Dr. Freedman and approached her. Dr. Freedman, in turn, joined Dr. Hunnicutt and Major Houlihan on the ramp as the other two stood up.

“Well sir, there are melted relay crystals in the right drive pod and in several panels inside. I think that I can replace them with crystals from non-critical systems, so the ship should fly. As for the time machine…” Sam trailed off and shook her head.

“I have only the vaguest of ideas of how that thing works, so I don’t know how accurate my assessment is. Several crystals were damaged, and they are not the same as those used in the rest of the ship. I might be able to create a workaround, but I honestly don’t know how well it would work.”

“How long?” the general asked.

Sam shrugged. “At least a week, probably closer to two.” Sam made sure she met his eyes. “Maybe never.”

~~~~~

The atmosphere on the ride back to the 4077th was almost as apprehensive as the ride to the crash site had been. Margaret had clearly seen the relief on her patients’ face when they’d uncovered the strange craft, and had also seen the disappointment on their faces when they heard Colonel Carter’s assessment of the damage. But also present was a determination to fix the ship, and faith in Colonel Carter’s abilities to do so. Margaret still found it amazing that all three men listened to the Colonel as much as they did.

Apparently, Pierce did, too. “So Colonel Carter is the brains of the team?”

Margaret wanted to hit him. Even though he wasn’t regular Army, he still should know better than to question a superior officer. (Not that that had stopped him before…) And hadn’t they already gone through the intelligence of women “issue” with Inga and herself?

Surprisingly, General O’Neill didn’t bite the captain’s head off. “Yup. And after eight years, I’ve learned to trust her. _Always._ ” The emphasis on the last word was meant as a warning, and Pierce got the hint.

Margaret, not feeling at all sorry for Pierce, was elated to find another high-ranking officer who, like Colonel Potter, listened to the women under his command. Then she realized what he’d said. “Eight _years_? You’ve worked together for that long?”

“Boggles the mind, don’t it?” the General replied, smirking. “Our former CO was a big believer in ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’.”

_Obviously_ , Margaret thought. In the military where transfers were a way of life, for a team to be together for even eight months was almost unheard of.

Lost in her own thoughts, she didn’t become aware of her surroundings again until she felt the jeep speed up. “Pierce, what--?” Then she heard it: the distinct _thunk-thunk-thunk_ of the choppers.

Taking a good look at her surroundings, she realized that they were almost back at the camp. Up ahead, Hunnicutt’s jeep was likewise accelerating. In no time, they were pulling into the compound behind an ambulance already parked there. Before Pierce had even stopped the vehicle completely, Margaret was scrambling out to help with triage. The first stretcher she saw was a simple gunshot wound to the shoulder. “Corpsmen!” she called.

“We can get that Major,” a voice next to her said. Turning, she was surprised to see Dr. Jackson and Colonel Carter standing beside her. Her first instinct was to protest, as she didn’t know if either one of them had any training as a medic. But given how busy they were, the fact that she could hear more choppers on the way, and the fact that carrying a stretcher wasn’t rocket science, Margaret wasn’t about to turn down any extra hands.

“Each of you take an end,” she instructed them. “Gently lift, and get him into Pre-Op.” She pointed at the building. “Tell the nurse on duty to start a unit of type-specific.” She needn’t have worried; once they picked up the stretcher they took off at a steady trot not all that different from the corpsmen that normally took care of such things. 

“Major!” Kellye’s voice pulled her back over to the lieutenant’s side.

“What is it Kellye?”

“I don’t know, Major,” Kellye responded. “Have a look.” She lifted up the field dressing on the soldier’s leg.

Margaret sucked in her breath. The smell of burned flesh was overpowering, yes, but after a career in Army hospitals and MASH units she was somewhat used to it. Her reaction was instead caused by the appearance of the man’s leg. Red, angry looking skin outlined a half-moon shape that started on the outside of the leg and traveled in to almost the mid-way spot. The interior of the proscribed area looked like overdone hamburger: black and crispy. “Pierce!” she called, carefully examining the wound. The side of the leg was equally bad, and from what she could tell the wound continued around the back of the limb, as well.

“What the hell?” Pierce exclaimed as he arrived on the opposite side of the stretcher.

“I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“We have,” a voice stated from behind her. Turning from where she crouched next to the patient, she found herself looking up at General O’Neill and Murray.


	10. Chapter 10

In the end, Hawkeye had to amputate the man’s leg. Whatever had caused his injury had caused so much internal damage that repairing it would have tied him up for hours, and he honestly wasn’t sure how much good he could have done anyway. There were too many damaged blood vessels, the muscle was fried, and x-rays had shown that the femur was not in too good a shape, either.

By the time Hawkeye finished, BJ and Potter were on their second patients, and Charles was on his third. “Okay, get him into Post-Op and bring me another.” Stepping back from the table as two corpsmen removed the stretcher, he pulled off his gloves and apron. “How many more are out there?” he asked Margaret as she helped him into a fresh apron.

“Only six,” she told him, tying up the back. “And none as bad as him.”

“Good,” Hawkeye stated as he slid his hands into the gloves she held. The next stretcher was being placed in front of him; it took him a moment to recognize the carriers as Daniel and Colonel Carter under the scrubs and masks.

“Thought you could use a hand,” Daniel told him, seeing his questioning look. “Jack and Murray are helping out in Post-Op.”

“Thanks,” Hawkeye told him, genuinely surprised. Occasionally, they’d gotten patients with medical expertise who would lend a hand, but never before had regular patients jumped in so willingly. Then again, nothing about this group was exactly _regular_ …Shaking his head, he turned his attention to the patient in front of him. He had to focus for right now; later he could talk with the time-travelers.

~~~~~

It was another two hours before they were done. Yawning, Hawkeye pulled off the apron as he entered the changing area. “I feel like I should’ve taken lessons from a butcher instead of going to medical school.”

It was a mark of how exhausted everyone was that no one, not even BJ, had a snappy comeback. The four of them changed in silence; Hawk was pulling on his pants when Colonel Potter finally spoke up. “I’m going to hit the sack, boys. See you in the morning.”

“Actually, Colonel,” Hawkeye stopped his CO. “You remember my first patient?”

“He’ll be rather hard to forget, son.”

“General O’Neill said that he recognized the injury.”

The older man sat back down on the bench. “I suppose I should be more surprised than I am,” he admitted. “But I guess I’m just too tired. Okay, Pierce, let’s find our guests and get some answers.”

“Gentlemen,” Charles spoke up, “as curious as I am about what our visitors know, I shall be of no use to anyone until I have had at least two cups of coffee.”

“I hate to say it, Hawk,” BJ piped up, “but I agree with Charles.”

“All right all right,” the chief surgeon allowed, ignoring the sneer Charles was directing at BJ. “Coffee first, then questions.” He led the quartet out of the building, his body on autopilot, his mind back in the OR.

“You did everything you could, son,” Colonel Potter’s voice broke into his thoughts as they approached the Mess Tent.

“I know,” Hawkeye allowed as he opened the door and held it for his CO. “That doesn’t make it any easier.”

Potter nodded his agreement as he led the way to the serving line. He opened his mouth to say something else, but was cut off by BJ. “Hawk.” The younger man prodded his friend in the back and looked towards the far corner.

Hawkeye looked in the direction indicated and noticed Margaret sitting at their usual table, surrounded by the four time-travelers. He nodded to BJ before picking up his coffee and making his way over to the group, the others close behind.

“I wanted to thank you again for your help,” Margaret was saying as he approached.

“Not a problem,” Daniel replied, taking a sip of his coffee. He gagged and coughed, causing Murray to reach over and thump him on the back hard enough that the younger man’s glasses almost flew off.

“Easy Murray,” Hawkeye told the big guy. “We’re on the same side here.” He slid in next to Margaret on the bench next to the canvas “wall”. Daniel sat on her other side, and Murray had the corner seat. O’Neill sat across from Murray, with Colonel Carter on his right. BJ slid in next to Hawkeye, while Potter and then Charles sat next to Carter.

“Thanks,” Daniel told Murray, his voice raspy. He straightened his glasses. “That is the worst coffee I’ve ever tasted.”

“What did you expect from the Army?” O’Neill quipped, causing Carter to smile. Hawkeye couldn’t help but notice just how close the two of them were sitting, and how she almost seemed to lean against the general. He turned back to his own coffee, dismissing the observation as the product of a drowsy mind.

“I was just telling the General and his team how much we appreciated their help,” Margaret said, ignoring the general’s sarcasm.

“It’s always nice to have extra hands,” Potter agreed. “My thanks, too.”

“Is it always like that?” Carter asked, acknowledging Potter’s gratitude with a nod.

“Nope. Sometimes it gets _really_ busy,” BJ stated.

“The worst times are when choppers or ambulances bring more wounded while we’re already working,” Margaret explained. “Especially if they’re all top priority.”

“Like that kid today,” Hawkeye jumped in.

The others understood immediately. “Yeah,” O’Neill said. “We saw you had to amputate his leg.”

“Too much internal damage. Blood vessels and muscle tissue were fried, and the femur was scorched. What the hell happened to him?”

O’Neill exchanged a look with his team, and Hawkeye thought for a second that he was going to try to feed them the “classified” angle again. If he tried it, Hawkeye decided, he’d make the general drink nothing but the sludge they called coffee until he choked.

“Can we talk someplace else?” O’Neill asked Potter.

“My office,” the camp CO promptly responded, getting up from the bench.

~~~~~

Sam’s mind was whirling as she followed Colonel Potter across the compound to his office. She and Daniel hadn’t seen the patient, but Teal’c and Jack had told them about it in undertones as the kid was carried into Post Op: a staff weapon blast to the leg, necessitating amputation. On hearing the news, Sam had been overwhelmed with a mix of emotions: sorrow that the kid had had to suffer the pain of an energy weapon blast, surprise and gratitude that Hawkeye had been able to save the patient, and, most of all, confusion. How the _hell_ had a soldier in 1952 Korea received an injury from a Jaffa staff weapon?

She’d thought about it while helping to move patients during the long OR session, could only come up with two conclusions. One was that, contrary to all known facts in her time, there had been a Goa’uld presence on Earth at this point. Sam had to admit that it didn’t seem too far fetched; after all, North Korea continued to be a problem to her present day. The second option was that, somehow, one or both death gliders that had been chasing them had been pulled through to the present space/time with them. And that just lead to more confusion, because she had thought that the time machine’s effects were confined to the jumper.

_You’ll figure it out, Carter_. Jack’s voice in her head echoed the look he’d given her not two minutes ago in the Mess Tent. While Sam was grateful for his confidence, it also brought back the old pressure. Sure, she’d never failed him before. But that only increased the pressure to get it right this time. And right now, she honestly didn’t need it. _Deep breaths, Sam,_ she told herself. _Focus._ But along with the pressure, she could also feel hope. Because if she could find the death gliders or another Goa’uld ship, she could probably use the crystals to patch up the jumper…

Sam shook herself out of her reverie as the group entered an office to find Klinger, now dressed in fatigues, hard at work at a typewriter. “Klinger,” Potter told the other man as they passed through, “hold all calls and don’t let anybody disturb us.”

“Yes sir,” the clerk replied as Potter pushed through the swinging door on the far wall. As the group entered the colonel’s office, the surgical team went to what were obviously their familiar seats; Hawkeye perched on a saddle that sat along the right-hand wall, while Margaret took a seat in one of two chairs in front of the desk. BJ started to sit in the other before remembering the visitors and offering the seat to Sam. She nodded her thanks and accepted, hiding her smile as Jack stepped up to stand right behind her.

“Now then, General,” Potter said as he took a seat behind his desk, “I believe you promised us some answers.”

Leaning back slightly, Sam looked up at Jack and wondered exactly how much of the truth he would tell. They had told (a heavily edited version of) the truth to Sidney, which he had obviously relayed to these people, but how were they going to explain the idea that a) aliens existed, b) there could be aliens on Earth, and c) that these aliens were apparently on the side of the North Koreans?

“You have to ask me a question first,” Jack quipped. Sam resisted the urge to roll her eyes and looked back at the elderly colonel.

Said elderly colonel had raised his eyes to the sky and appeared to be praying for patience, so Hawkeye decided to jump in. “What the _hell_ happened to that kid’s leg?” the surgeon asked, his voice rising dangerously.

“He was shot,” Jack responded promptly. Sam reached behind her, ready to hit him in the leg, but heard a sharp intake of breath before she managed it. Looking back, she realized that Daniel was standing next to Jack and had apparently trod on the older man’s foot. Jack was glaring at the archaeologist in retaliation, but any further action was cut off by Hawkeye’s “Thanks Daniel.”

“Shot with what, sir?” Margaret asked, her patient voice sounding strained.

“A staff weapon,” Jack told her, still glaring at his friend.

“Which is…?” BJ asked.

“The weapon of Jaffa warriors,” Teal’c answered.

“Who are they? Some kind of religious sect?” Hawkeye looked at Jack expectantly.

“Actually,” Sam spoke up, “they’re aliens.”

~~~~~

Silence greeted Sam’s statement, and Daniel braced himself for the doctors’ reactions. Sure, the last time they’d done this, Michael and Jenny had taken it in stride, but that had been 1969…

“WHAT?” Hawkeye’s reaction was exactly what Daniel had expected. Margaret and BJ sat there quietly, expressions of shock on their faces.

“Excuse me, Doctor Jackson.” Daniel turned to face Major Winchester, who was standing by the filing cabinets in the far corner. “But are you seriously suggesting that the so-called ‘little green men’ are real?”

“They’re grey,” Daniel and Jack responded simultaneously.

“And not all aliens look like that,” Daniel continued. “In fact, some of them look quite human.”

“Indeed,” Teal’c agreed. Silence filled the office for several moments, broken by BJ’s astonished, “Wait, you mean…Murray, _you’re_ an alien?”

Teal’c inclined his head, the corners of his mouth turned up ever-so-slightly. “That explains a lot,” Hawkeye piped up from his seat.

“Don’t it?” Jack riposted. “In fact, Murray is a Jaffa.”

“As in the ‘staff weapon is the weapon of’?” BJ clarified.

“Indeed.” This statement was greeted with more silence from the medical staff, leading SG-1 to trade glances. _This could be bad…_

“So the fact that this boy was wounded,” Colonel Potter spoke up, “means that there are more of these Jaffa somewhere around here? How does that happen?”

Daniel traded glances with Teal’c and Jack. As one, they turned to look at Sam.

“Well,” the astrophysicist said, “I’ve got a theory.”

~~~~~

After eight years of working with Carter, Jack was sure of two things: 1) He was no dummy, but Carter was scary-smart, and 2) he at least understood her explanations well enough to get the gist and act as a translator. She’d been expanding on her theory for almost five minutes now, and seeing the glazed looks on the faces of the medical staff, he decided it was time to put this second fact to use.

“So you’re saying,” he interrupted her, “that either there’s a Goa’uld here we somehow missed, or these Jaffa somehow followed us. Does that about sum it up?” He looked down at her.

“Yes sir,” she replied, looking up at him sheepishly.

He flashed her a very brief grin before turning to the other members of his team. Daniel was leaning against a filing cabinet next to Doctor Hunnicutt, while Teal’c stood in front of one of the doors. “Guys? Any ideas?”

“Well,” Daniel replied, adjusting his glasses, “we’ve never found any evidence of Goa’uld or Jaffa on Earth beyond Ancient Egyptian times, but then we’ve never looked.” That was true; after all, until they’d been told that Seth was still around no one had found the guy.

“I do not believe that any system lord had forces on this planet during this time,” Teal’c informed them. Since the Jaffa had probably been a loyal servant of Apophis during the current year, and therefore had access to very up-to-date intelligence, Jack was inclined to trust his word.

“So they followed us here,” Jack concluded. He looked down at Carter. “How is that possible?”

He could see the gears turning as she answered him. “It’s possible that they were following so closely to us that they were affected, or one of the hits we took damaged the time machine so that it somehow grabbed them as well. I won’t know until I can run some tests.”

“How long will that take?” Jack hated to put pressure on her, but now they had to figure out how those Jaffa had gotten here, as well as how to get home. She was their best hope for both.

She looked up at him, regret in her eyes. “Honestly sir? I have no clue.”

_Okay, that’s a little disheartening_ , he thought. He kept it to himself, though. “All right,” he said. “I hate to do this to you Colonel,” he addressed the CO of the place, “but I need to have a little planning session with my team. Would you be able to sit in?”

~~~~~

Sherman Potter prided himself on being a good CO. One of his best traits, he believed, was that very few people could honestly surprise him. Apparently, Jack O’Neill was one of the few.

When the younger man had begun his last statement, Sherman had prepared himself for the worst. It had sounded like the General would finally pull rank, and of course there wouldn’t have been anything for Sherman to do but grit his teeth and do as ordered. Brass was brass, age, branch, and wild stories about time-travel notwithstanding. The last thing he expected was for the other officer to ask for help.

“I’d be happy to,” he replied. He glanced at his staff and saw his own look of surprise mirrored on their faces. “Do you mind if these folks also stick around?”

O’Neill shrugged, indicating that it was up to the people in question. “If you’ll excuse me,” Winchester cut in, “I must decline, as I am due in Post Op. Gentlemen, Margaret, Samantha.” With that, the Bostonian surgeon departed.

“I’m supposed to be there, too,” Hunnicutt said, reluctantly leaving his post. He swapped looks with Pierce, and Sherman understood their silent conversation perfectly: Hunnicutt wanted to make sure Pierce kept him in the loop, and Pierce promised to do so.

“Okay General,” Sherman addressed the other man as Murray and Dr. Jackson repositioned themselves. “What exactly do you want from me?”

“I honestly don’t know yet,” O'Neill responded. “Carter?”

“Well sirs, it’d be easier for me to run those tests if I didn’t have to commute to the jumper every day. Is there some way to get it moved?”

Sherman exchanged a look with Margaret. _Don’t ask for much, do they?_ “Honestly ma’am, I don’t---”

“Colonel,” Pierce piped up from his seat on the saddle, “I think I might know a way.”

Sherman looked at the younger man, incredulous. “Oh?”

“Remember who was a guest at our last poker game?”

After a moment’s thought, the elderly colonel felt his face split into a smile. “You mean Colonel Granger, head of that Army Corps of Engineers unit?” Sherman liked the other colonel; the man was honest, hardworking, and, best of all, in debt to Pierce due to a bad run of cards.

“The very same,” Pierce nodded. “Let me call him and see if he’d be able to help.” At his CO’s nod, the surgeon rose from the saddle and, side-stepping Murray, headed into the outer office.

“How long until we know if this Granger can help?” O'Neill asked.

“Probably a day or so,” Margaret spoke up. “His unit is closer to the front lines right now, so even if they can, it could be a few days for them to get to us.”

“Okay then. Murray,” O'Neill turned to the other man. _Alien_ , Sherman corrected himself. “Why don’t you check out the surrounding area, see if you can find where those other Jaffa are holed up?”

The black man inclined his head. “Colonel Potter,” he addressed Sherman, who felt himself sit up a little straighter at the tone of voice, “it would be advantageous if I knew where the soldier in Post Op had been injured.”

“Talk to Klinger,” Sherman advised him. “He’ll have the pilot’s flight plan.”

Once again inclining his head in acknowledgment, Murray turned on his heel and exited through the swinging door behind him. “That takes care of that.” O'Neill turned to Dr. Jackson. “Daniel---”

“Got it, Jack,” the younger man assured him before turning to Colonel Potter. “Colonel, can I ask some of your people to introduce me to their local contacts? I need to ask them a few questions.”

“I’ll take care of that, Doctor,” Margaret spoke as Sherman was opening his mouth. “I know most of the Koreans who live near the camp.”

After getting a confirming nod from the CO, Daniel looked back to Margaret. “Thank you.”

“Colonel?” Sherman looked in surprise at the young woman sitting across from him; he’d thought that Colonel Carter had been deep in thought. “I’m going to need access to whatever engineering facilities you have.”

“I’ll see to it that the motor pool and Sgt. Rizzo are at your disposal,” Sherman assured her.

“Thank you sir,” she replied, attempting to stifle a rather large yawn.

The general saw it, though. “Hit the sack, Carter. You can get to work in the morning.”

“Sir---” the lieutenant colonel began.

“Ah!” O'Neill held up a hand. “That’s an order.”

“Yes sir.” Colonel Carter slowly rose from her chair. She looked back at her CO as she reached the door, and Sherman thought he saw something more than just the usual CO/2IC affection in that gaze. Less than a moment later, however, the younger officer had exited the office, and O'Neill’s professional mask was firmly back in place, leaving Sherman wondering whether or not he’d seen anything at all.

The general turned back to the older man once the young lady had exited. “I’ll round up the rest of my team and get them to leave your people alone. I don’t see any reason that all of this can’t wait until morning.”

“I appreciate it sir.” And Sherman did; it was nice to have another officer around who obviously cared for the folks underneath him. “I’ll catch up with you in the AM.”

O'Neill nodded his agreement as he headed for the door. “Thank you, Colonel.”

“Sherman,” the surgeon stated, causing the other man to stop at the door. “The name’s Sherman, sir.”

The young general looked back over his shoulder. “Jack. Thank you, Sherman.” With that, Jack pushed the door aside and exited the office.


	11. Chapter 11

Around 0730 the next morning, Corporal Klinger delivered three things to Teal’c: the flight plan of the pilot that had brought in the soldier injured by a staff weapon, a map of the area around the camp, and a uniform in Teal’c’s size, complete with matching cap.

That had been several hours ago. Teal’c now sat at a corner table in the mess tent, cap pulled low over his gold brand, and studied his morning’s work. “Hey Murray.” Teal’c looked up to find Corporal Klinger standing across from him. “Sorry to disturb you, but General O’Neill wants you to meet him in Colonel Potter’s office.”

The big Jaffa inclined his head in acknowledgement before getting up from the table. Carefully, he placed the flight plan on top of the map and rolled the larger document up before following the corporal through the doorway and into the bright sunshine. As they walked across the compound, Teal’c could tell that the younger man had something on his mind. “Is there a question you wish to ask of me, Corporal Klinger?”

It seemed that the Army officer had been waiting for just such an invitation. “Are you really from the future?”

His voice was pitched so that only Teal’c could hear. Teal’c smiled appreciatively at the smaller man; for someone who he’d first seen wearing women’s clothing, the corporal obviously understood enough about the military he served in to know that this was not information to be shouted from the hilltops. “Indeed,” Teal’c replied, also speaking in a lowered tone.

Corporal Klinger appeared to ponder this as they covered the remaining distance to the office. “What’s it like?” he finally asked, holding open the door for Teal’c.

Teal’c inclined his head in thanks as he stepped through. “I do not believe that it is wise for me to answer that question,” he told the younger man. “You will find out, in time.” With that, he left the corporal in the outer office and proceeded through the inner doors into Colonel Potter’s office. The Colonel sat at his desk, while O’Neill had taken a seat in one of the chairs opposite him. Colonel Carter was also present, as was Doctor Pierce.

“Murray,” O’Neill greeted him.

“You wished to see me, O’Neill?” he asked, taking up position behind Colonel Carter’s chair.

O’Neill nodded to Colonel Potter, who took over. “Pierce got in touch with Granger. Turns out the Colonel’s unit is headed back this way; Granger thinks that they can have your ship moved closer to the camp within a week or so.”

“That is good news.” Teal’c looked at the man he considered his brother. “I believe that I have discovered several possible locations for the Jaffa encampment.”

“Excellent!” O’Neill returned Colonel Potter’s raised eyebrows with a shrug.

The older man simply rolled his eyes before addressing Teal’c. “Murray, Jack and I need you to go find _exactly_ where those aliens are camping out.”

“Take Danny with you, too,” O’Neill chimed in. “He’s been making good headway with the locals, and can act as translator.”

“Talk to Klinger about supplies,” Colonel Potter chipped in. “He should be able to get you pretty much whatever you need.”

Teal’c inclined his head in acknowledgment of the orders. “What of you and Colonel Carter?” Even though he was reasonably sure he knew what the answer was, he still felt that he should ask.

“I’ll be working on the ship.” Colonel Carter smiled up at him from her seat. “Do me a favor: if you find any death gliders, let me know?”

“Of course.” Teal’c had to work to suppress the smile that threatened at the look on Doctor Pierce’s face when Colonel Carter mentioned the words “death gliders”. “I will collect Daniel Jackson and make the necessary preparations.”

“Check-in with Sherman and I before you head out,” O’Neill told him.

Once more inclining his head in acknowledgment, Teal’c left the office at a brisk pace, mind already whirling with plans.

~~~~~

“Death gliders?” Hawkeye blurted out as Murray left the office.

“Small, two-person fighters used by the Jaffa,” Carter responded. “I can adapt some of the parts to work with our ship.”

For the life of him, Hawkeye couldn’t come up with any snappy retort other than “Ah.” These people continued to amaze him.

~~~~~

Less than an hour later, Teal’c and Daniel left the camp. They had all the supplies necessary for a week-long recon mission, as well as one of their own radios and instructions to check in every twenty-four hours.

~~~~~

Two days later, Colonel Granger stopped by camp to talk with Colonel Potter, Hawkeye, and Colonel Carter. After a thirty-minute discussion, it was decided that the ship would be place near the camp dump and covered with camouflage netting to hide it from prying eyes, both ally and enemy. Colonel Granger also informed them that it would take several more days than originally thought to move the craft, because first they had to figure out a way to transport it without breaking their truck.

~~~~~

By day six of their recon mission, Daniel and Teal’c had covered a lot of ground; exactly how much, Daniel wasn’t sure. They’d visited three separate sites where Teal’c had theorized the Jaffa could have crashed. So far, they’d had no luck. Now, as they worked their way up the hill to the fourth such site, Teal’c suddenly held up a fist. Eight years of working with the military had taught Daniel how important it was to obey this command, and he promptly got quiet, lowered himself to the ground, and crawled the remaining fifteen feet or so to the top of the hill. Carefully, they both lifted their heads over the crest. Daniel felt his eyes go wide at the sight laid out before him: two death gliders, guarded by a solitary Jaffa. Daniel turned towards Teal’c, a small smile on his lips. _Jackpot._

~~~~~

Jack was smiling as he turned off the radio following the daily check-in. The news about the gliders would make Carter very happy. Actually, it would make her _happier_. Still smiling, Jack looked out the window of Sherman’s office and watched as the Ancient ship was lowered carefully from the back of the reinforced truck, two days ahead of schedule.

~~~~~

Two hours later, Teal’c rejoined Daniel at the crest of the hill, having just conducted a recon of the area surrounding the clearing. “There are only two gliders,” Teal’c informed him. “I have found a path that leads to an encampment to the west. It appears to belong to a group of indigenous soldiers.”

“Any sign of any other gliders?”

Teal’c shook his head. “But I believe that the pilots of these have taken command of the soldiers at the encampment.”

“Wouldn’t surprise me,” Daniel muttered. “Another Jaffa came by about an hour ago and took the other guard’s place; I’m guessing that they don’t trust the locals to leave the ships alone.”

“A wise precaution,” Teal’c commented.

“Yeah,” Daniel agreed. “How many people were at that camp?”

“Approximately two dozen.” Teal’c noticed the look on Daniel’s face. “What are you considering, Daniel Jackson?”

“Sam wants parts from the gliders,” Daniel explained. “But we don’t know exactly what she needs. And if we just knock the guard out and take what we need, there’s no guarantee that the rest of the Jaffa won’t track us back to the MASH and attack us there with their new slaves. But I don’t think that the two of us can neutralize that camp on our own.”

“Indeed.” Teal’c was quiet for a moment. “I believe that we should return to camp. We can speak with Colonel Carter about what parts she requires, and discuss strategies with O’Neill and Colonel Potter.”

Daniel nodded his assent, and the two friends began silently making their way down the ridge.

~~~~~

“General! Sir!” Sam looked up from where she and O’Neill were securing the last corner of the camouflage netting over the Ancient ship to see Corporal Klinger running over to them.

Beside her, the General rose to a standing position. “What is it Klinger?”

“Dr. Jackson and Murray are back!”

Before the younger non-com could say anything else, her CO had taken off for the compound. Sam was right behind him.

~~~~~

“You’re sure there’re only four Jaffa?” Jack asked, turning back to his teammates.

“As sure as we can be,” Daniel replied. The four of them, plus Colonel Potter, were gathered in the elderly CO’s office. Sam was seated in one of the two chairs in front of the desk, across from Sherman. Teal’c stood off to the side, while Daniel had taken up Pierce’s usual perch on the saddle. Jack was pacing, his restless energy propelling him around as he considered possible strategies to deal with this new threat. “But,” the linguist continued, “I really don’t see how there could be more. How could the time machine have pulled through more than those two gliders?”

“I still don’t know how it pulled through those two gliders in the first place,” Sam reminded them. “For all we know---”

“Well,” Jack cut her off, “we can’t keep running around the country looking for others, so for right now we’re going to assume that there are only two.” He glanced at her, hoping that she’d understand why he’d derailed her train of thought. The slight nod she gave him indicated that she did. “Daniel,” he turned to his friend, “I want you to stay here with Carter and help her with repairs.”

“Where are you going?” Daniel asked.

Jack looked over at Teal’c. “We’re going to get rid of the Jaffa.”

“Sir!”

Jack looked over at Carter. “What is it?”

“Sorry sir, but I need you here to activate the ship so I can see what I’m doing with the repairs.”

She had a point, whether Jack liked it or not. Sighing, he turned back to Teal’c. “Think you and Daniel can take out those Jaffa?” He hated to show doubt in a member of his team, and Daniel had become a pretty decent soldier over the last eight years. But he had to be sure.

“Indeed.”

That was good enough for Jack. “Okay then. Restock on supplies and take what you need by way of weapons from the ship.”

T inclined his head before leading Daniel out of the office.

“I’m sure they’ll be fine, Jack.” Jack looked up to find Sherman looking at him in a very knowing way. “They’re smart fellas,” the elderly colonel continued, “and I doubt they’ll do anything stupid.”

Jack nodded his assent, hoping that, for once, that would be the case.


	12. Chapter 12

Dusk fell, bringing with it the sounds of crickets. Teal’c was lying prone in the woods outside the camp where he was certain Ra’s Jaffa had taken over. Less than a half-hour before, a lone Jaffa had taken the path towards the gliders and a different one had returned. If Daniel Jackson’s earlier observations had been correct, there would not be any more traffic on that path for several hours at least.

It was time to move.

Teal’c clicked his radio. “Daniel Jackson.”

_“I’m here.”_

“It is time.”

_“Roger that.”_ Teal’c felt his lips quirk upward as he shut off the radio; O’Neill had certainly rubbed off on Daniel Jackson. Taking a deep breath, he pushed thoughts of his friend to the back of his mind, focusing on his task.

He had observed earlier that, while the indigenous soldiers patrolled the edges of the encampment, the Jaffa themselves seemed to have taken over a tent in the center of the compound. His plan was simple: sneak into the camp, neutralize the Jaffa, and get back out, neutralizing the native soldiers along the way and securing them as best as possible.

Firmly focused on what he had to do, Teal’c rose to his feet. It was a matter of steps before he reached the tree line. He paused there, crouched behind a stump, waiting, until the Korean soldier on patrol was well past line-of-sight. Once he was certain the coast was clear, Teal’c rose again and carefully made his way into the encampment. His goal was to take care of the Jaffa first if at all possible; he feared that if they heard the tell-tale sound of a zat they would be harder to disable.

That plan almost worked.

He made it to the entrance of the tent he’d identified as the Jaffa quarters when a Korean soldier exited. Luckily, his head was down, giving Teal’c time to dodge to the left and stand against the tent. Unluckily, the soldier turned to his right just as he lifted his head, bringing him face-to-face with Teal’c.

Without thinking, Teal’c brought the zat up and fired, hitting the man full in the face. The soldier dropped like a rock, but Teal’c could hear movement inside the tent as the Jaffa within scrambled for their weapons. Silently cursing, he stepped around the body and entered the tent already firing his zat. Through sheer luck, he managed to hit each of the three Jaffa before they could get to their weapons. Once each of the Jaffa were down, he zatted each of them a second time, killing them, and then a third time, disintegrating their bodies and armor into nothingness. Without pausing, he turned on his heel and exited the tent, zatting every enemy soldier he saw. His luck seemed to hold, and he zatted what he thought was the last of the enemy soldiers and got to work binding the hands and feet of each of them. He had just secured the last of them when the _crack_ of a broken branch behind him caused him to spin around.

He had a brief glimpse of a Korean soldier’s face. Then something struck Teal’c in the head and he was engulfed in blackness.

~~~~~

_“Jack.”_ The sound of Daniel’s voice, issuing from the radio on the desk, caused Jack’s arm to snap out and grab it up. Sherman, sitting on the other side of the desk, raised his eyebrows.

“What?” Jack asked the older man. He raised the radio to his mouth and thumbed the TALK switch. “Daniel. Is everything okay?”

_“Not really.”_ Before Jack could ask what he meant, Daniel continued. _“I took care of the Jaffa guarding the gliders, but Teal’c never radioed to say if he’d taken care of the camp. I finally headed over to see what was going on and found the North Koreans running around looking for the other Jaffa.”_

“What about Teal’c?” It was only when he saw Sherman’s face that Jack realized he and Daniel had both referred to T by his real name instead of calling him Murray. There was nothing he could do about it now, though.

_“I think the Koreans are holding him in one of the tents in their camp.”_

That was all Jack needed to hear. “Carter and I will be there in one hour Daniel.” He barely heard Daniel’s acknowledgment as he switched off the radio and looked over the desk at the camp CO. “Sherman…”

The older man made a shooing motion. “Whatever you need.”

Imminently grateful, Jack turned on his heel and sprinted through both sets of doors, nearly trampling the company clerk in his haste to get to where the ship was hidden. “Sorry Corporal!” he yelled over his shoulder.

Jack concentrated on the pounding of his feet during the short trip towards the camp dump. His heart leapt when he saw Carter emerge from under the camouflage netting, her hair in disarray and her borrowed BDU streaked with grime. At the sound of his feet, she looked up, and he could see the grit on her face where she’d rubbed her hand at one point.

Her blue eyes widened as he skidded to a halt in front of her. “Teal’c’s been captured. Daniel’s waiting for us.”

~~~~~~

Her senses were on high alert as Sam followed General O’Neill through the woods. It was strange, because while this was decidedly not the first time they’d gone on a rescue mission together, the unfamiliar clothing and equipment (a BDU borrowed from Major Houlihan and rifles borrowed from the camp weapons locker in addition to their zats) were enough of a distraction that she had to really concentrate to keep her mind on the task at hand.

Also, it was hard to concentrate with stray thoughts like  _I hope I don’t screw up the timeline_ running through her head.

A sudden _crack_ brought both her and the general to a halt, weapons swinging into position as a figure stepped out from behind one of the trees. “Whoa!”

“Daniel!” the general hissed, lowering the rifle. “Don’t do that!”

“Sorry,” the archaeologist said. Sam noticed that he seemed more anxious than apologetic, however.

O’Neill had picked up on it, too, and didn’t waste any time. “Which way?”

“This way,” Daniel said, turning on his heel and leading them through the trees. Sam slung the rifle across her back and grabbed her zat from the inside of her jacket before following.

They hadn’t been walking for very long before the ground began to slope upwards, and about five minutes later, Daniel was motioning for them to get down and crawl. They did just that, and it wasn’t long before they reached the top of the hill. Carefully, Sam raised her head just enough to see over the crest. Beside her, she heard the General’s sharp intake of breath, and had to agree with the sentiment.

If Teal’c _had_ managed to stun the Koreans before, the effects had long since worn off. The ambush had apparently made them that much more paranoid; Sam could see no less than four pairs of guards set at points around the camp. Each pair of soldiers had a good sight line to the guards on either side of them, and other soldiers were working on shoring up a few earthen barriers that looked suspiciously like machine gun nests. “Oh boy,” she muttered under her breath.

Beside her, the General spoke, “Oh _crap_.”

~~~~~

 

Jack studied the scene before him, fighting down his unease. Granted, this development made it that much harder to extract T, but he had to look at the bright side: If they’d arrived a half-hour from now, those machine gun emplacements would have been completed and manned, and who knew what _other_ surprises the North Koreans would have come up with?

“Okay,” he said, keeping his voice low, “we need to take out one of the guard posts.”

“How?” Daniel asked. “And why? We don’t even know where Teal’c is!”

“Sir!” Carter interjected as Jack opened his mouth to retort. When he looked over at her, she motioned towards the compound. He turned, and noticed a man striding through the camp, heading for the center of the compound. Quickly, Jack pulled out his binoculars and followed the man, a sergeant if Jack was reading his rank insignia correctly. The Korean reached a larger tent in the center of the compound, which Jack noticed for the first time was guarded. The guards saluted and pulled aside the flap covering the entranceway. The Korean sergeant entered the tent, and just before the flap fell back into place, Jack saw a very familiar face: Teal’c, sitting on the floor, staring impassively at his captors.

Jack pulled the binoculars away from his face. “T’s in that big tent in the center.”

“We still need to get past those guards,” Carter reminded him.

Jack nodded. “I have an idea about that. Daniel.” The younger man looked over at him a little apprehensively. “How good is your Korean?”

~~~~~

Ten minutes later, Daniel stood behind a tree about ten feet away from one of the guards. He’d left his weapons, jacket, and glasses with the others, and had been dirtied up by Jack so that he looked like he’d been walking through the woods for at least a week. Grumbling under his breath, Daniel counted slowly to ten. As he did so, he cleared his mind of everything except the task at hand. Finally, he took a deep breath, adjusted his posture, and limped out of the woods.

[Help!] he called in Korean. [Please someone help!]

The guards looked at one another, clearly trying to decide which of them would help the disheveled man who had just appeared in front of them. Daniel continued to limp closer, clutching his arm to his side. [Please help!] he repeated. [I need a doctor!]

The guard on the right finally stepped towards him. [You are our prisoner] he stated. [Come with me.]

[Are you taking me to a doctor?] Daniel asked, standing his ground and putting a slight edge of hysteria in his voice. The man needed to step just a little closer…

[If you behave] the soldier told him. [Come!] He reached for Daniel’s arm.

[Ow!] Daniel complained as the soldier grabbed him and began forcibly directing him towards the center of the camp. [Where are we going?]

[Silence!] The soldier’s tone indicated that further discussion would not occur, so Daniel did as ordered. It wasn’t very long before they reached the tent where Teal’c was being held. [Inside] the soldier ordered. One of the guards opened the flap and his escort pushed Daniel in, following close behind. Teal’c was seated against the central post, and Daniel could see that his feet were bound. His arms were behind his back, presumably bound as well. [Sit] the soldier told Daniel, pushing on the archaeologist’s shoulder.

Daniel allowed the other man to push him down in front of Teal’c, who was watching everything silently. As he crouched over, Daniel reached under his shirt and extracted the zat that had been tucked in his waistband. In one fluid movement, he spun around, raised the zat, and fired it directly into the soldier’s stomach. The man’s body muffled the sound of the weapon, and Daniel caught him as he fell, easing him to the ground.

“It is good to see you, Daniel Jackson,” Teal’c said. His voice was a whisper, and Daniel had to work to hear him over the pounding of his heart.

“You too, Teal’c,” Daniel replied in kind. He moved around to his friend’s back and began untying the rope that held his hands.

“What of O’Neill and Colonel Carter?”

“They’re executing the rest of Jack’s rescue plan.” Daniel had moved around to undo the ropes on Teal’c’s ankles, which meant he was in perfect position to witness his friend’s raised eyebrow. Daniel quickly filled him in. “This is for you,” he finished, passing over the zat. “Ready?” Once Teal’c nodded, Daniel let out a yell. [Help! Help me!]

The guards were fast alright, but Teal’c was faster. Two shots from the zat, and the two guards dropped like rocks on top of their comrade. Daniel let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding as he moved over to tie up the soldiers. He noticed that his heartbeat was slowing down slightly, and the blood was no longer pounding in his ears quite as loudly as it had been. He could now hear the sounds out in the rest of the camp that indicated Jack and Sam were doing their part. “Come on,” he told Teal’c. Picking up one of the Korean’s rifles, he led the way out of the tent.

~~~~~

Sam waited until Daniel had been escorted away to make her move. Crouched behind a fallen tree, she watched until the two had stepped behind the nearest tent and silently counted to ten. Then she brought up her zat, aimed, and took out the other guard at the exact same moment General O’Neill took out the two guards to the west.

The next few moments were spent moving closer to the camp and zatting any North Korean soldier stupid enough to step out into the open. It didn’t take long, however, for the soldiers to figure out that approaching her directly was a bad idea. Luckily, they hadn’t figured out that she was just the distraction; General O’Neill swept through the camp from the far side and zatted everyone in sight. Not ten minutes later, he’d made it to her position. “Nicely done Carter,” he praised her as they worked to tie up the Koreans.

“Thank you sir,” she replied. “Any sign of Daniel and Teal’c?”

“Right here,” Daniel spoke up as they stepped into view. He paused to look around. “Wow. It worked?”

“You had doubts?” the General asked, leading Sam and Daniel to carefully avoid one another’s gaze. Teal’c merely raised an eyebrow. The General must have realized what he’d asked, and what they were thinking, because he coughed to break the sudden silence. “Did you secure the Koreans?” he asked the other men.

“Indeed,” Teal’c responded.

“Carter.”

“Sir?”

“Let’s go get those parts you need from the gliders.”

~~~~~

Two hours later, Carter approached Jack. “I’ve got everything I need, sir,” she informed him.

“You’re positive?” He didn’t like to show any sort of doubt in her abilities, but there was no way they could leave the gliders in the forest for the North Koreans or their allies to find.

“Positive sir,” Carter said, using her voice of infinite patience. Jack ignored it and motioned for Teal’c to join him. Standing up, the pair of them headed for the downed ships. Panels were missing near the cockpits and along the wings where Carter and Daniel had extracted pieces that the former might need, so the things looked about two steps away from the junkyard anyway. _That makes this easier_ , Jack thought. He placed himself in front of one of the ships and waited until Teal’c had taken up a similar position in front of the other. “On three,” Jack told his friend. “One.” Jack armed his zat. “Two.” He brought the zat up in a two-handed grip, aimed at the ship. “Three.” Jack pressed the firing stud on his zat once, twice, three times. The alien vessel glowed as blue lightning danced along its surface, and disappeared. Jack blinked, fighting back a smile; that _never_ got old!

Teal’c came up beside him. “Good job, T.”

“Thank you O’Neill.”

“Carter! Daniel! Let’s pack it up and head back to the camp.”


	13. Chapter 13

Sherman Potter had been staring at the same report for a good fifteen minutes before he realized that he’d not taken in any of it. Sighing, he shut the folder. “Well Mildred,” he addressed the portrait of his wife, “I guess I’ll say goodnight.” He kissed his fingers and placed them gently on the photo’s cheek before slowly rising from his chair. “Klinger,” he told his clerk, who was bent over the latest requisition forms, “I’m going to hit the sack.”

“Okay sir. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight son.” Sherman had pushed open the door when he thought of something. “Has there been any word from General O’Neill?”

Klinger looked up from his paperwork. “Not that I’ve heard, sir.”

Sherman nodded. “Well, let me know the moment you do.”

“Sure thing, sir.” Klinger smiled. “Hey, they’ve survived stuff like this before, right?”

Sherman couldn’t help but smile at the corporal’s hopefulness. “I guess you’re right,” he replied. “Goodnight Klinger,” he said again, exiting the office. The younger man’s “Goodnight sir” was cut off by the door swinging shut, and Sherman suddenly found himself faced with nothing more than the music of the crickets as he began to walk towards his tent. He was being stupid, he told himself as he tucked his hands into the pockets on his lab coat. Like Klinger had said, and like Jack himself had admitted, these four were no strangers to combat, especially with aliens. And it wasn’t as if they came from his chain of command. After all, Sherman suspected that, in the time they were from, he was long gone. That thought didn’t disturb him in the least; he knew he was no spring chicken, and the thought of living another fifty years was wishful thinking.

And yet, they’d somehow become a part of the little family here at the 4077th. Rizzo had already informed Sherman that Lt. Col. Carter had assisted him in making some much-needed repairs to that crappy generator of theirs, and in the process made it work better than it ever had. Murray (or was it Teal’c? Teal’c certainly sounded more alien) had assisted with patching the roof of the Post Op building at one point, and Jackson had made friends with just about everyone in the camp. For the most part, Jack had stayed in the background, but Sherman knew that that was due to his trying to not step on the local CO’s toes. But anytime wounded were brought in, no matter what they were doing, these four time-travelers jumped in to transport folks to and from the OR and Post Op, move supplies, and help with other small jobs. Jackson had even acted as translator when a family of wounded Koreans had been brought in. Was it any wonder Sherman was worried about them?

Lost in his own thoughts, Sherman had almost made it to the door of his tent when he heard one of the guards call out “Halt!” The exclamation brought Sherman’s eyes up from his feet as he turned towards the sound. He felt a surge of relief at the sight in front of him: Jack and his team, having been recognized by the guard, walking through the camp towards the VIP tent.

“Sherman!” Jack called out, spotting the other man.

“I take it things worked out,” Sherman replied, meeting the others halfway.

“Yes sir,” Carter responded. Her eyes were shining, and Sherman noticed that both she and Jackson were weighed down by bulging backpacks. Parts to fix their ship, he supposed.

“Glad to hear it,” he told her. “See you all for breakfast?”

“Wouldn’t miss it,” Jack assured him. With that, the young general lead his team back to their temporary quarters.

Sherman smiled and headed for his own tent, suddenly tired. He was looking forward to hearing about their adventures the next day.

~~~~~

The following morning, SG-1 plus Jack met with Colonel Potter for breakfast. As they ate in the Mess Tent, the conversation was kept light, with no hint of their efforts of the previous day. Following the meal, Carter dragged Teal’c and Danny off to help her with repairs to the ship. Sherman and Jack adjourned to the former’s office, and Jack gave the other a brief account of what they’d found at the North Korean camp and how they’d taken care of the Jaffa and the gliders. While the elderly colonel clearly didn’t understand exactly what Jack said, he was definitely relieved to hear Jack’s assertions that there would be no more casualties like the young man of a week before.

“So what now, Jack?” Sherman asked of him.

“Now Carter fixes the ship.”

~~~~~

The following day, Margaret ran into Daniel as he was picking up food from the Mess Tent. “Hungry?” she asked him.

“Oh, most of this is for Sam,” he told her. “She has this tendency to forget to eat when she’s working on a project.”

“That’s a problem.” As she spoke, Margaret noticed that Daniel’s eyes were a little puffy, and that there were the beginnings of shadows under them. “Did you get any sleep last night?”

“Not really. Sam stayed out at the ship to keep working, and I kept her company.”

Margaret shook her head. “Tell you what, I’ll take this food out to her, and you can go get some sleep.”

Daniel started to argue, but Margaret took the box from him, effectively cutting off his protest. She walked with him to the VIP tent before continuing on towards the dump. As she approached the vessel, she heard a _clank_ , followed by some extremely colorful swearing. “Colonel Carter?” she called out, not wanting to surprise the other woman.

“In here,” the other’s voice responded. Margaret reached the end of the ship and turned up the ramp.

The inside of the ship was a mess. Wires, crystals, and bits of technology that Margaret couldn’t classify were all over the place. Carter was crouched down next to a pedestal that took up most of the floor space in the rear compartment. “Major,” Carter greeted her, looking up briefly from her work. Then her eyes fell on the box in the other’s hands. “What’s that?”

“Lunch,” Margaret told her, taking a seat on the ramp. “Nurse’s orders.”

This comment brought a sad smile to Carter’s face. “Where’s Daniel?” she asked as she also took a seat on the ramp.

“I sent him to get some sleep.” Margaret ran a critical eye over the other blonde. “You look like you need some, too.”

Carter waved her off, taking a few bites from a sandwich. “In a little bit. I want to finish repairing the time machine first.”

“Is there anything I can do to help?” Margaret wasn’t sure what made her ask, but she figured it was better if she stuck around. That way, if the other woman collapsed, Margaret was right there.

“Sure,” Carter said, stuffing the remains of the sandwich in her mouth and getting up from her seat. She led the way into the ship. “Okay, I need you to hold this flashlight right here….”

~~~~~

Shortly after their initial arrival in the camp, Teal’c had noticed the basketball hoop that hung in one of the larger open spaces. Seeing as there was not much else to do right now, he decided to challenge O’Neill to a game of one-on-one. They’d been playing for several minutes when Teal’c became aware of Doctor Pierce and Doctor Hunnicutt watching from the sidelines.

O’Neill had also noticed them. “You two up for a game?” he asked.

The doctors were a little surprised by the challenge. “Sure,” Doctor Hunnicutt replied for both of them.

~~~~~

Later, at dinner, Hawkeye couldn’t help laughing with the others at the fact that an alien had beaten him at a game from Earth.

~~~~~

Daniel spent more time working with Sam, but at Colonel Potter’s urging he also began to work with some of the folks at the 4077th to improve their Korean. After all, as the colonel pointed out, while most of them could understand and make themselves understood by the locals, it was a good idea to be as fluent as possible, since they could be here for awhile. (Daniel had to bite his tongue at this statement, since he knew that these people would, for the most part, be home within two years.)

A couple of days later, Daniel was back in front of a classroom, or in this case, the Mess Tent, teaching languages.

~~~~~

Jack was chatting with Sherman one day in the Mess Tent when he saw Carter enter, followed by Teal’c. “Carter!” he called to her. She headed over and took a seat next to him. Teal’c slid in next to Sherman. “What are you doing here?” Jack asked her, surprised. Over the last week and a half, Carter had only been back to the camp when Daniel, Teal’c, or Margaret had insisted. Usually, this only lasted for ten hours while she slept, and then she was back up and at it, trying to repair the ship.

“I’m done, sir,” she told him.

Jack felt his face stretch into a smile. “Well Sherman,” he turned to his new friend, “it looks like we’re just about out of your hair.”

~~~~~

The following day, Jack, Sam, Teal’c and Daniel were standing outside the ship, along with Colonel Potter, Hawkeye, BJ, and Margaret. “Thanks again, Sherman,” Jack told the older man.

“Not a problem Jack,” Potter replied. “I feel like we should be thanking you for all of your help these last couple of weeks.”

Daniel turned away, looking at the others. Sam and Margaret were talking quietly, and Teal’c was saying something to BJ. “Daniel.” Hawkeye’s voice caught his attention. “I just wanted to say thanks for…everything.”            

Daniel smiled. “Actually, I wanted to say thank _you_.” And he meant it. Surprisingly, Hawkeye had been one of Daniel’s best students in his Korean class, and the two of them had become surprisingly good friends in a very short time, discussing their similar lives as people caught out of their element. Like Jack, Hawkeye wasn’t as stupid as he pretended, and that wicked sense of humor hid someone who was deeply affected by what was happening to and around him. “I appreciate having someone to talk to,” Daniel explained.

“Me too,” Hawkeye admitted. “Hope you make it back to the future okay.” His eyebrows went up at Daniel’s snort of laughter. “What?”

“Nothing,” Daniel assured him. He extended his hand. “Good luck, Hawkeye.”

The surgeon grasped the outstretched hand. “You too, Daniel.”

The others were finishing up their good-byes, as well. Daniel exchanged handshakes with Potter and BJ and collected a hug from Margaret. Finally, Daniel and his team entered the craft. Daniel waited until the doctors and nurse had stepped back before raising the ramp. He made his way through the rear compartment, sidestepping and ducking to avoid Sam’s jerry-rigged patches. _I hope they work_ , he thought to himself as he slid into the co-pilot’s seat. Teal’c was in the seat behind him, and Sam was standing behind Jack, ready to head to the rear compartment at a moment’s notice. “Let’s go,” Daniel told Jack.

~~~~~

As they backed up from the ship, Hawkeye looked over at Margaret and noticed that her eyes were brighter than usual. “You okay?” he asked, stepping closer to her.

Margaret nodded. “I just hope they get home okay.”

“Me too,” BJ agreed.

“Amen,” Colonel Potter said. The four of them had moved about twenty feet from the back of the ship, and now they stopped, waiting for it to take off.

And take off it did. Hawkeye was surprised at how quiet it was; compared to the choppers he heard on an almost-daily basis, this ship from the future was almost silent. It lifted vertically, just like the choppers, but once it was about thirty feet from the ground, it angled upwards and took off like a bat out of hell. Hawkeye kept his eyes on it until, “Did it just disappear into thin air?”

“I think it did,” BJ agreed.

“Apparently the human race is going to go a long way in the next fifty years,” Potter commented as they turned to head back to camp.

“Let’s hope war is one of those things that come a long way,” Margaret noted.

“Well, it sounds like we’re not just responsible for Earth anymore. I have this funny feeling that the rest of the galaxy isn’t exactly peaceful,” Hawkeye said. The group walked in silence for a few moments then Hawkeye thought of something and turned to his friend. “Hey Beej, why’d you tell Murray you’d see him around?”

“I plan on still being around in fifty years, don’t you?”

“Yeah, but really, what are your chances of ever seeing an alien again? Why didn’t you just say good-bye?”

“I don’t like saying it, that’s all.”

“Why not?”

“I just don’t, okay? Lay off already!”

Hawkeye started to say something else, but stopped at a look from Potter. He shrugged as they made their way back into the camp. He’d pester BJ about it later.

~~~~~

“Carter!” The General’s voice brought Sam up from her last-minute tinkering on the time machine. “We good to go?”

“I think so sir.”

“You _think_ so?”

“Sir, we’re lucky the cloak worked. Goa’uld crystal technology isn’t the same as Ancient crystal technology and the adapters I made may not adequately--”

“Ah!” he cut her off. “I promise: if it fails, I won’t sue you.”

He turned away then, which meant he didn’t see the expression on Sam’s face: a mixture of exasperation and amusement. She watched as he went very still. He must have been concentrating, because the time machine began to power up. Sam anxiously watched as the lights along the sides of the machine came on in sequence. There were no mishaps, and the machine pulsed, exactly as it had the first time they tried this.

Sam made her way into the cockpit where Daniel was leaning out of his seat to see as much of the sky as possible through the viewport. “When did you send us?” he asked.

The General had opened his eyes and was also searching the sky for something. “We should be… Ah ha!” He maneuvered the ship around until they could see a pair of death gliders on patrol.

“Jack?” Daniel asked. “When are we?”

But the General didn’t have to answer, for the second the words were barely out of Daniel’s mouth a distortion appeared in the center of their field of view and they saw a ship appear, a ship that looked _very_ familiar.

Sam couldn’t help hissing in remembered pain as the gliders immediately opened fire on the other them. The first blast hit the starboard drive pod, causing the ship to veer in that direction slightly. The two gliders flashed past the damaged vessel, spitting fire the whole way. As they circled back around, the ship dove, forcing the gliders to do likewise to keep the ship in their sights. There was another distortion which encompassed all three vessels. In the blink of an eye, all three were gone.

“Well I guess that answer’s that question,” Daniel commented. He sounded a little breathless, like he’d also been reliving the harrowing moments of the dogfight.

“It looks like they got caught in the slipstream of the time machine’s effects after all,” Sam agreed.

“You’ll have to work on that,” the General said. Sam mock-glared at him, but the effect was lost as he continued to stare out the window. “Let’s go get that ZPM,” he said, and began to pilot the ship on a re-entry vector.


	14. Epilogue I

_Of course, nothing was ever as easy as it should be. The sandstorm during the night sent the plan south real quick by covering part of the cloaked ship. Daniel’s plan to record a message for the future worked, but of course he hadn’t planned on the whole timeline being affected. Our story resumes in this altered timeline, where Carter is a geek who never joined the Air Force, O’Neill owns a boat and offers fishing trips, and Kawalsky is still alive…._

Daniel Jackson, Ph. D., was being escorted through the corridors of the Cheyenne Mountain Complex by two US Air Force soldiers. Or were they airmen? What was even more amazing was that this wasn’t the first time that this had occurred today; the first time had been that morning, when two different airmen had escorted him down to a conference room. There, he’d met Dr. Carter and General Hammond, and had seen the video for the first time. Not just any video, mind you: a video that showed him, Dr. Carter, and two other men, the four of whom were supposedly part of a team that not only traveled to other planets, but also through time!

The second time he’d been escorted through the corridors was when they’d taken him to the commissary, where he’d had a very interesting conversation with Dr. Carter about how time-travel could be possible, as well as how the video could even exist. From there, he’d been escorted to an office so he could work on translating the tablet that had been found where the Stargate should have been buried. Then back to the commissary to tell his fellow Ph. D. that she’d been right, the military were going to shut them out of anything they’d found. Shortly thereafter they were escorted back to the surface at his request, so that they could track down one Jack O’Neill to see if he’d be willing to go to bat for them with the military.

That trip had been a bust.

On arriving back at the mountain, they’d been met at the sign-in station by two more airmen, who were currently escorting them…where? “Do you have any idea what’s going on?” Carter asked him now. Daniel shook his head. Had the military located the Stargate while they were gone? Or…was it possible someone had followed them to their meeting with O’Neill and didn’t want them talking to him anymore? Daniel’s insides went cold at the thought of how the military might express their displeasure….

“Dr. Carter, Dr. Jackson,” Major Davis greeted them as the corridor dead-ended in a set of double doors.

“Major, what’s this about?” Carter asked.

Silently, Daniel thanked her for asking the first question. “Did you find the second Stargate?” he asked.

“No, we didn’t,” the Air Force man said, “but we decided to show you something else. Airmen?” The question was obviously an order in disguise, for the two men guarding the doors immediately turned and pulled said doors open to reveal what was unmistakably a spaceship.

“Whoa!” Daniel moved into the room with Carter, stunned. It took him a moment to realize that Major Davis was talking again.

“We think this was the ship SG-1 used to travel back in time.”

“Where did you find it?” Carter voiced the question that was also on Daniel’s mind.

“It was uncovered during an excavation of the area around the tomb where the tape was found,” the major explained. “Please,” he motioned them around to the rear of the ship.

A ramp led to the interior, which was a mess of wires, crystals, and other pieces of technology. To Daniel’s untrained eye, it looked like two or even three types of technology had been mashed together to make it work.

Carter seemed to be thinking along the same lines. “The tape did say they had to patch it up. Is it operational?”

“Not yet,” Davis replied.

Daniel, meanwhile, had moved to the front of the ship, which looked to be relatively intact; at least, there weren’t crystals jutting out the way there were in the rear compartment. A panel between the front two seats caught his eye. “These are constellations,” he realized.

“The tape said that this was able to go through the Stargate as well as time travel,” Carter reminded him.

“So this must be what dials the Gate,” Daniel theorized. He reached for one of the panels and noticed that Carter had also reached out when—

“Don’t touch anything, please!” Daniel turned to find a very harassed-looking man entering the ship. “Leave the touching to the experts!” The guy obviously meant himself, if the smug attitude and “Mr. Fantastic” shirt were anything to go by.

“Doctor McKay,” Major Davis introduced the man. “He’s the lead scientist on the project.”

“Hi,” McKay said.

Major Davis made the introductions and beat a hasty retreat. After having talked with McKay for several minutes, Daniel wished he could have done the same.

~~~~~

Daniel Jackson, Ph. D., was sitting at an ancient Egyptian campfire, eating, being congratulated by the locals on the success of this second rebellion, and observing the three people sitting next to him.

It was a very strange feeling. The three people in question looked and sounded like Jack O’Neill, Samantha Carter, and Teal’c, and to a certain extent, they were. But they weren’t _his_ Jack, Sam, and Teal’c. They were from an altered timeline, one that his team had apparently created when they’d failed at a second rebellion. _Thank goodness that didn’t happen this time_ , he thought.

“Um, Daniel?” Sam’s voice brought him out of his reverie. He still wasn’t used to this version of her: timid and nerdier than he’d been back when he’d first joined the Stargate program. “I had another question about the tape.”

“Yeah?”

“Well, we saw the repairs to the ship, and on the tape you mentioned that there was an accident.” Her blue eyes were boring in to his, just like the eyes of his Sam when she needed to know something. “I was wondering if you could tell us exactly what happened.”

He couldn’t help smiling, especially once he noticed that Jack and Teal’c were definitely listening. “It’s another long story,” he warned her.

“We don’t seem to have anything better to do,” Jack pointed out.

Daniel nodded his head. “Well, the first time we tried to reach this time, we sort of ran into a pair of death gliders on patrol….”


	15. Epilogue II

“Margaret!” Benjamin Franklin “Hawkeye” Pierce, M.D., retired, called up the stairs of the house. “What’s taking so long?”

“I just had to find my sweater,” his wife responded as she arrived at the top of the stairs. “It’s chilly outside.”

“I suppose,” Hawkeye allowed, privately thinking that Crabapple Cove never got as cold as Korea had seemed to. Margaret was obviously thinking along the same lines, because when she reached the bottom of the stairs she reached up and cupped his cheek in her hand.

“We survived,” she reminded him.

“I know,” he told her, wrapping his arms around her. “And every day, I’m grateful.” He kissed her forehead, and they stood that way for some time, just enjoying the feel of one another. “So,” he finally said, “are we going for a walk, or what?”

Margaret laughed and pulled away. He smiled and followed her towards the front door. Reaching around her, he pulled open the door and nearly tripped over Margaret as she stopped dead. As he regained his balance, he looked over Margaret’s head to see what had caused her to stop so suddenly. The shock nearly caused him to fall over anyway.

General Jack O’Neill and Lt. Colonel Sam Carter were standing on his doorstep.

~~~~~

It was a strange feeling, Sam mused as she sat on the couch in the Pierces’ living room. These two people obviously knew her and Jack, or some version of her and Jack, but she honestly had no clue who they were beyond a couple of names.

Several days ago, two crates were delivered to the SGC. The larger had been found in a tomb near Giza, and the archaeologists that had discovered it were understandably puzzled to find a wooden crate, labeled in modern English, buried in Egypt. The second, smaller one had contained a canopic jar that, according to the note enclosed by the archaeologists, apparently contained a video camera.

Jack had had the crates delivered directly to Daniel’s lab, where SG-1 and the general had promptly opened them. Daniel immediately opened the canopic jar and retrieved the video camera, while Jack and Sam had opened the larger box to discover a ZPM carefully packed in straw. After the four of them watched the video, Sam had lifted the ZPM out of its box to make sure that it was intact. Underneath the device, she found a note in Daniel’s handwriting.

_SG-1,_

_If you’re able to, you should thank the staff of the MASH 4077 th (Korea, 1952) for the safe delivery of this ZPM. Without them, we would’ve been stuck in the wrong time for good._

_Daniel Jackson, Ph. D._

_PS-We told them the truth._

Her curiosity aroused, Sam had hopped on her computer and used her status as a member of the armed forces to track down the staff of that mobile hospital. The CO of the unit at the time the note had mentioned had apparently died some five years ago, and one of them, the company clerk, had remained in Korea. But the rest of the medical staff had returned to the States, and Sam was for some reason drawn to the discovery that the head nurse, one Margaret Houlihan, had married the chief surgeon, one Doctor Benjamin F. Pierce. While Maine was definitely not on the normal route between Colorado Springs and Jack’s cabin in Minnesota, Sam had decided that she’d make the detour on her way to the scheduled fishing trip. To her surprise, Jack had said he’d come with her.

“So you made it back,” Margaret stated, handing Sam a soda.

“Apparently,” Sam replied. “I know that this may be hard to understand, but Jack and aren’t the people you knew. That SG-1 went back to Egypt and completed the original mission, but they got trapped there.”

“How did you know about us then?” Hawkeye, as he insisted on being called, asked as Margaret sat next to him on the loveseat.

“There was a note in one of the boxes that was delivered to the base,” Sam explained. “It looks like it was written by the Daniel you knew.”

“How is he?” Hawkeye asked. Jack responded this time, and before Sam could quite work out how, the four of them were conversing like old friends. The Pierces told stories of their life during the remainder of the war and then once they’d left Korea, while Jack and Sam answered questions for them that apparently had gone unanswered all these years, including whether or not she had any relatives in the Air Force.

Before they realized it, the little group had spent two hours talking. Jack finally called a halt to the proceedings, explaining that he and Sam had to get on the road. “Keep in touch,” Margaret said as she walked with Sam to Jack’s truck.

“Yeah, don’t be strangers again,” Hawkeye chimed in, causing Margaret to roll her eyes.

But Sam noticed she smiled as she did so. “Don’t worry,” she told the older woman. “And I’ll make sure Daniel and Teal’c get in touch, too.”

Margaret smiled as she enfolded Sam in a hug. Sam shook Hawkeye’s hand and accepted a kiss on the cheek from him before climbing into the cab of the truck with Jack. He turned the key and reversed the vehicle out of the driveway. Sam made sure to wave as they drove off, and was glad Jack did the same. “Thanks,” she told him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

“No problem,” he replied, planting a quick kiss on her hand.

~~~~~

Margaret smiled as she watched the truck drive off. “I’m glad they made it home safe.”

Hawkeye slipped his arm around her waist. “Me too.” The pair stood in silence for a few moments. “Well,” Hawkeye asked his wife, “are we still going for a walk?”

 

THE END

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for taking this journey with me. Hope you enjoyed it!


End file.
